


let it be me - epilogue

by littlemsmessy



Series: let it be me [2]
Category: Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene
Genre: 1960s, 69 (Sex Position), Bath, F/M, First Time, Hand Job, Honeymoon, Woman on Top, lovemaking, married
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-27
Updated: 2014-04-20
Packaged: 2017-11-27 03:56:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 54,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/657784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlemsmessy/pseuds/littlemsmessy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a continuation of let it be me, where Ned asked Carson for Nancy’s hand in marriage and Nancy accepted Ned’s proposal. They’re now man and wife, and are on their honeymoon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just like last time, the story takes place in the early 60s; unlike last time, this story definitely is not PG. 
> 
> None of these characters are mine - my name is littlemsmessy, not Carolyn Keene. If these were my characters, I'd be rich right now, and each of you would get a pony.

Nancy stares up at the ceiling in the darkness of the honeymoon suite, acutely aware of Ned’s presence in the bed next to her. The sound of his breathing seems even more amplified in the silence.

She must have made some type of noise without even realizing it, because Ned reaches over to click on the lamp on his nightstand before coming back to lie on his side facing her, propping himself up on one elbow. Instinctively, she tugs the sheet that she’d pulled over herself immediately afterwards up even higher.

“How are you feeling, sweetheart?” Ned asks tentatively.

“Fine,” she replies softly, still not quite able to look him in the eye.

He leans over and briefly presses his lips to hers before pulling away. “I’m so sorry that I hurt you, Nancy.”

“It’s okay,” she manages weakly. “It’s all right - I know you didn’t mean to. You were very gentle. And I’m sure that I’ll get used to it.”

“It’s not all right.” Ned pushes a stray lock of hair off of her forehead. “Sweetheart, I want you to enjoy it, not just endure it.”

“It was very nice to be close to you like that. And, I liked what we did…before,” she admits shyly.

He smiles. “Me too, sweetheart. It was wonderful to be able to kiss you and touch you and not have to worry about someone interrupting us or having to stop because it’s inappropriate. It was just that… that I enjoyed it so much that I didn’t slow down nearly as much as I’d wanted to for our first time together.”

Nancy nods. “So…now that we’re married…” He smiles at that, but doesn’t say anything. “How often…how often will you want to…do _that_?”

Chuckling, Ned runs the pad of his thumb from the middle of her forehead all the way down to the upturned tip of her nose. “Sweetheart, if it were up to me, we’d make love every day and night for the rest of our lives.”

She pauses, trying to absorb that information.

“But I’d never force you or coerce you, Nancy,” he reassures her hastily.

Nodding again, Nancy shifts slightly. She must not have done a very good job of concealing the wince of pain the movement brought, because Ned’s expression immediately changes to one of concern.

“Sweetheart, would you like me to get you some aspirin?” he asks solicitously.

“No, I’ll be fine,” she replies softly. “Ned?”

“Yes?”

“You really enjoyed it?”

He kisses her again, lingering this time. “Nancy, it felt incredible. _You_ felt incredible.”

“Thank you,” she whispers, flushing.

“No, thank _you_. I know you were scared and nervous and I just want you to know that I’m so incredibly honored that you let me be the first man – the only man – to make love to you. It’s not something that I take lightly, sweetheart.”

She smiles up at him. “I know, Ned, and that’s why I married you. Because you’re so kind and sweet and caring.”

“And because you love me?” he asks teasingly.

Giggling, Nancy playfully swats at his arm. “And because I love you.”

He leans down and presses his lips to her bare shoulder. “How about I draw you a warm bath, hmm? I think I saw one of those little bottles of bubbles in the bathroom when I was washing up earlier.”

She nods, touched by how hard he’s trying to make her comfortable and put her at ease, both physically and mentally. “That would be nice.”

Ned gets out of bed, still naked, and Nancy blushes when she sees the most male part of him. Noticing her discomfort, he quickly reaches down for the thick terrycloth robe that he had dropped to the floor earlier that evening and slips it on. He walks to the other side of the bed and picks up her discarded robe, holding it out to her.

Smiling her thanks, Nancy props herself up on one elbow and accepts the garment, still tightly clutching the sheet to her chest, but doesn’t put it on. That would require her to be nude in front of him by the light of the bedside lamp, and she doesn’t think she’s ready for that yet.

Not that the robe would cover much, she realizes. It’s a sheer, white frothy confection that matches the frilly white peignoir she had received as a bridal shower gift from her Aunt Eloise. Her face had been the color of a ripe tomato when she’d pulled it out of the box in front of her shower guests. The ones who were already married had smiled knowingly and began making teasing comments about how long she’d be wearing it before Ned ripped it off of her. Come to think of it, she now recalls, most of them hadn’t been that far off the mark with their guesses.

He stands there a moment longer, reaching out to stroke her hair, before turning away and walking to the bathroom. Once she hears the water running from behind the closed door, she pushes aside the sheet and throws her legs over the side of the mattress, wincing at the incredible soreness between her thighs.

She’s also slightly sticky there, even though Ned had given her a cloth to clean herself up earlier. While Nancy knew the basics of what happened between married men and women, it had been slightly shocking to feel the warm, slippery residue on her inner thighs after Ned had sated himself with her body.

He had originally offered to put something on to shield her from…the aftereffects, but she had told him no - even after he’d warned that making love without it could result in her having their baby in nine months.

Nancy hadn’t been too concerned, though - a few months before the wedding, Hannah had taught her how to track her monthly cycle to determine when she’d be least likely to conceive, and she was in that window right now. Hannah had told her that there were also ways for men to prevent conception, but that most men didn’t like using them.

Gingerly getting to her feet, Nancy pulls on the robe and grabs for one of the tissues from the box on her nightstand. She uses it to wipe a little more thoroughly between her thighs, and is slightly dismayed – but not surprised – to see the paper come away with more than a trace of blood. After all, before tonight, she had been completely untouched. After discarding the soiled tissue into the trash receptacle, she makes her way to the bathroom, knocking tentatively.

“Come in,” he calls.

When she pushes open the door, she finds Ned crouching by the half-filled tub, using the palm of his hand to test the water coming out of the faucet. She instinctively grips the two edges of her robe to close them even tighter; when she realizes that doing so will make the sheer fabric cling to her body, she instead folds her arms across her chest.

He smiles up at her. “Perfect timing, Nancy – it’s just about ready.”

“Thank you, Ned,” she murmurs.

Ned gestures towards the tub. “Hop in, sweetheart.”

She stands there, deliberating what to do. Now that they’ve already been intimate, it seems foolish to be embarrassed about being naked in front of him, but once again, the thought of him seeing her entire body in the bright light of the bathroom…

“Do you want me to leave?” he asks gently.

Now she’s even more embarrassed that he’s caught her pondering her dilemma. “No,” she replies softly. She slowly undoes the sash of her robe and then pushes the garment off, noticing Ned’s interested stare.

When she’s completely nude, she hurriedly gets into the tub, whimpering slightly when her sore flesh makes contact with the water.

“Is it too hot, sweetheart?” he asks worriedly. “I tried to keep it at warm.”

“No, it’s fine,” she replies. The water isn’t yet high enough to cover her bare breasts, and the flush on her face has nothing to do with the temperature of the water. As hard as he’s trying, Ned can’t seem to keep his gaze away from her tight pink nipples.

He stands there a moment longer before reluctantly turning away. “I’ll just go back to bed…”

“No. ”She’s as surprised as he is when the word comes out of her mouth. “Ned, no. Will you…will you join me?”

Nancy can’t believe she’s asked him this, but the delighted smile on his face is worth any discomfort she’s feeling.

“Are you sure, sweetheart?”

When she nods, he sheds his own robe and tentatively makes his way to the tub. “How?” he asks.

She’s initially confused by his question, but figures it out. If she tells him to sit facing her, then he’ll have a prime view of her breasts and the area between her thighs; if she tells Ned to sit behind her, his front will be pressed up against her bottom.

Deciding that the latter scenario would be slightly less mortifying, Nancy scoots forward. He takes the hint and climbs in behind her, taking care not to make the water slosh over the sides of the tub.

The insides of Ned’s thighs graze the outside of hers, and she shivers at the feel of the coarse hair brushing up against her skin. He’s purposely left enough space between them so that she doesn’t feel crowded, but she’s also secretly disappointed.

Nancy reaches for the washcloth he’s draped over the soap dish and dunks it into the water to wet it; when she reaches for the soap, Ned takes both the bar and the washcloth from her and rubs them against each other, drawing the now-soapy cloth against her bare back in slow circles.

She inadvertently lets out a low moan when he presses his lips to the nape of her neck while still rubbing the washcloth over her.

“Good, sweetheart?” Ned asks her in a husky voice.

Nodding, Nancy feels herself start to relax. Ned places the cloth into the water again and this time lets the water cascade down her back to rinse off the soap. He soaps up the cloth once more and drags it from the spot where her neck meets her shoulder all the way down to her wrist bone, repeating the movement on the other side of her body.

Sighing contently, Nancy arches her back so that it’s brushing up against Ned’s bare chest.

“Seeing you walk down the aisle to me earlier today was like a dream come true,” he tells her quietly, stroking her hair with one hand. “I’d been wishing for it for so long that it almost didn’t seem real.”

Nancy remembers how incredibly gorgeous he had been in his dark suit as he’d stood waiting for her at the front of the church. The flutter of nerves she’d felt when the doors had opened and she and her father had made their way past the smiling guests had all faded away once she’d caught the look of love and contentment on Ned’s face. It had taken everything in her not to rush the rest of the way down and fling herself into his arms.

“It didn’t seem real to me, either,” she confesses, lifting one of her legs so that her pink-painted toenails wiggle against the bubbles at the water’s surface.

“You looked like the most gorgeous woman in the world in your dress and veil.”

She smiles, recalling how hesitant Ned had been when pushing back her veil. And the slight sadness on her father’s face when he had first seen her wearing her mother’s wedding gown. Nancy had initially thought about buying a new dress, but she had liked the idea of having a little piece of her mother with her on her wedding day.

“Thank you,” she tells Ned now. “And you were the most handsome man in the world. I couldn’t believe it when the minister pronounced us husband and wife.”

“Me neither.” The washcloth brushes over her spine and Nancy scoots backwards and tilts her head so that it’s resting on his shoulder.  
  


He leans forward and gently captures her earlobe between his teeth, tugging slightly. When he moves his lips down to her neck, she’s shocked to feel the sore flesh between her legs twinge slightly.

“Sweetheart, I…I love you so much, and you’re so beautiful like this.” The timbre of Ned’s voice is so seductive against her skin that she closes her eyes and feels her breathing grow heavier. “Warm and naked and relaxed –you’re unbelievably gorgeous.”

She blushes but keeps her eyes closed. “You can’t see me, Ned,” she points out.

“No, but I can feel you,” he replies, dropping a kiss on her shoulder before again running his tongue over the nape of her neck. “And taste you.”

By now, Nancy’s blushing even deeper, but she doesn’t want him to stop. Ever. The twinges between her legs have become even more pronounced, and the tips of her breasts are tight for reasons that have nothing to do with the contact of the water. She’s completely savoring the feel of her new husband’s large hands – and the rough cloth – over her wet, naked skin.

Ned moves the cloth to graze her ribcage, then up the side of her breast. Nancy silently wills him to slide it over to the center, but apparently, he has other plans, because the washcloth is now resting on one of her knees.

“Is the water still warm enough for you, Nancy?”

“Hmm?” she asks, completely unable to focus on his question. Chuckling, Ned repeats himself. “It’s fine, Ned,” Nancy replies dreamily.

“Good.” He lightly sucks on the flesh at the crook of her neck; Nancy knows it’s referred to as giving a hickey, but she doesn’t care right now. They have ten whole days for their honeymoon, so the mark should disappear by the time they return home. Even if it doesn’t, she can’t bring herself to worry about it.

After he washes her knees and calves and stomach and neck and elbows, Ned sets the washcloth back onto the soap dish.

Disappointed, Nancy twists her body slightly to look at his face. “Ned, is that it?”

His expression is entirely too innocent. “Is what it, Nancy?”

“Is that…is that the end of our bath?”

“Only if you want it to be, sweetheart. _Do_ you want it to be?”

She shakes her head, not trusting herself to speak.

“Okay, then. Let me continue.” There’s a wide smile on his handsome face as he reaches for the soap and washcloth again. “Where shall I wash you next, sweetheart?”

Nancy’s not nearly ready to say the words aloud; instead she points to her chest before turning her back to him again. After reaching around her, Ned takes the soapy cloth and places it at her neck before tracing it down her collarbone, the hollow of her throat, and the tops of her breasts before stopping.

“More?” When she nods, he slides it down so that the slightly rough fabric of the cloth is teasing her erect nipple. “Do you like that?” Nancy nods again, willing him to continue.

“I’m a lucky, lucky man,” he tells her in a low voice. She twists around again to see the desire simmering in his eyes. “To be able to see you and touch you like this…” Ned leans forward and tilts his face towards hers, capturing her mouth with his own.

The feel of his lips on hers and his hand at her breast is so unspeakably delicious she can hardly believe it, and she’s surprised at how something that would have been completely forbidden last night is completely appropriate tonight. His tongue is stroking hers as he gently teases her nipple with his thumb.

“I love you,” he murmurs between kisses. “I love you, and you are so sexy and beautiful and I can’t wait to love you again.”

She pulls back slightly, her breathing heavy and her eyes half-lidded. His touch, coupled with his words, made that twinge between her legs become even more pronounced. It had been more than a little painful when he had been making love to her earlier, but when she feels as good as this, the idea of subjecting herself to some more discomfort seems to be a risk worth taking.

Nancy suddenly pushes herself up and turns around, balancing on her knees in front of him. As she slides her arms around his neck, her erect nipples are brushing against his wet, bare chest, but it feels so wonderful that she can’t even think about being embarrassed. Even the feel of his hard maleness, firm and hot against her stomach, can’t deter her.

Ned slips his arms around her waist and pulls her even closer, crushing his mouth to hers. “Sweetheart, I want you so much,” he groans against her lips. “Please, _please_ , say you’ll let me take you back to bed.”

She nods, kissing him again. She’s still nervous and frightened – and still sore – but she knows that Ned will take things slow and do whatever possible to minimize any pain for her.

He reluctantly eases her away from him and grabs for the sides of the tub so he can push himself to a standing position, reaching down so he can grasp her hands and pull her up, too. Ned kisses her hungrily, and she knows she should feel self-conscious about standing here pressed up against him like this – but, oh, it feels so good.

“Come on,” he says in a husky voice, not even bothering to pick up their robes as he helps her out of the tub and leads her back to the bedroom. The air is slightly cool around them as they stand naked and wet, but Nancy feels a slow burn wherever Ned is touching her.

It’s nice to see the expanse of his bare, muscular chest and arms, she admits to herself as they stand next to the bed. Of course, she’s seen them when he’s worn his swimming trunks in front of her; back then, though, it wouldn’t have been proper for her to spend too much time staring. Now she’s allowed to look all she wants, for he’s her husband.

He slides back the covers and motions for her to lie down. Her anxiety must be reflected on her face, because Ned presses his lips to her forehead.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. I just want to touch you for a little while longer. Just relax like you did in the tub – can you do that for me?”

She nods mutely. He kisses her again, and when his tongue grazes hers, she starts to melt. Ned lets his hands drift down to stroke her neck, her collarbone, her upper chest; when his fingertips stray towards the tips of her breasts, she tenses, but doesn’t push him away.

“Relax,” he murmurs.

Nancy closes her eyes and just lets herself feel. The sensation of his fingers on her skin is delicious, and she sighs when he traces the firm bud of the tip with his index finger, then moves to the other one.

“You are perfect,” Ned whispers. “A thousand times more gorgeous than I’ve ever imagined.”

“Did you imagine this?” she asks, still not opening her eyes. It’s easier not to look at him when he’s touching her and talking to her like this.

“All of the time, sweetheart,” he admits with a low chuckle. His hands slip lower and they trace her ribcage before settling down at her hips. “I thought about seeing your lovely body – all of it - and touching you and kissing you and…being inside of you.”

She lets out the breath she didn’t know she was holding in as his hands stray even lower. His fingertips are resting just above the line of golden curls below her navel.

Ned very tentatively slips his fingers between her closed thighs. At first, he just traces the soft skin there, and she ever-so-slightly parts her legs. Ned smiles and begins to slide one of his fingers into the opening of her sex.

“So warm and tight,”he says softly.

“This feels good,” she breathes.

“I’m glad,” Ned tells her, smiling. “I tried to learn about how to please you.”

Her eyes flutter open at that. “How?”

“By reading books.”

“They have books about things like this?” she asks incredulously.

Ned chuckles but doesn’t stop touching her. “They do,” he confirms. “And I found some when I went to New York for that business trip last month, and I read them carefully. Because what I said before was true – I want you to like this, sweetheart. I want you to enjoy our lovemaking.”

“I like what you’re doing to me right now,” she tells him truthfully.

“Good,” he smiles. “I just wish I’d been strong enough to be able to take my time with you the first time around so I could do this. But you’re so beautiful and you felt so good that I just couldn’t control myself.”

“And the books told you to touch me like this?” She can’t resist asking.

“They did. They told me which parts of your body would be sensitive and how I could touch them in ways that you’d like.”

“Those books were written by people who obviously know what they’re talking about.”

They both laugh and Ned plants a little kiss on the tip of her nose before resuming his stroking. When he gently slips a second finger into her, she sighs with pleasure.

She’s enjoying the feel of his fingers, more than she thought she would - until he slides them inside of her much more deeply. Nancy instantly tenses up and lets out an involuntary hiss of pain.

Ned immediately withdraws his hand from between her thighs and looks up at her, an anxious expression on his face.

“Sweetheart, I am so sorry,” he tells her contritely. “I didn’t mean to hurt you again.”

She quickly closes her legs and forces herself to give him a smile. “It’s okay - it wasn’t too bad,” she fibs. The truth is that she’s now sore all over again, the newly-raw flesh throbbing once more.

“Nancy, I’m sorry,” he repeats, sliding away from her and off of the bed. She looks over at him, standing at the side of the mattress, and notices that his male member is still red and curved upwards.

“I know you wanted to…to be together again, but I’m just not ready,” she says quietly. “I need a little more time.”

“That’s all right,” Ned tells her, looking slightly disappointed. “I’ll just…take care of things.” He glances down at himself ruefully.

“How?” The question’s popped out of her mouth before she can stop herself.

“How?” he repeats. When she nods, he gives her a shrug of embarrassment. “By…by touching myself.”

He’s not the only one who’s completely mortified by now, but there’s a reason that Nancy has a reputation for being so curious. “You’ll touch…it?”

Ned nods, not quite meeting her eyes. “Yes…I’ll touch myself, all the while thinking of you and how beautiful you are while you’re lying here naked in our honeymoon bed, and I’ll think of how incredible it felt to finally make love to you. I’ll do that until…until I’m satisfied.”

Her face must be as red as his is right now, but she can’t seem to stop asking questions. “So when you’re finished, you’ll…it’ll be sticky like it was after we…”

He chuckles slightly but nods again. “Yes. And you would think that talking about this would make me less aroused, but I’m really not,” Ned says, and she can’t tell if he’s talking to her or to himself.

“I’ll be right back,” he tells her, turning away towards the bathroom.

“No,” she tells him. “Stay.”

The minute the word comes out of her mouth, she can’t believe she’s said it. It’s the second time tonight that her curiosity has overridden her sense of decorum.

“You…you want to watch me…” he gestures down at himself, “pleasure myself?”

She nods, not trusting herself to speak.

“Can I touch you while I do it?” Ned asks. The panic she was feeling inside must have flickered on her face, because he immediately put his hands up. “Not _there_ , but your…your chest again?”

Nancy ponders his request, but then gives another nod. It had felt incredibly nice for him to touch her chest before, and she’s kind of looking forward to it happening again.

Ned slides back into bed and onto his side next to her, propping himself up on his elbow. He leans down and kisses her, his tongue gently sliding in and out of her mouth. When he reaches over and begins to stroke her breasts again, she begins to forget her nervousness.

When he holds out his open palm in front of her mouth, she’s puzzled, until she figures out that he wants her to lick it. She complies, still not sure of the reason, until he slips his hand between them and clasps his male part in his fist, sliding it up and down the length.

“That’s what you meant?” she asks him quietly.

“Yes,” he replies, increasing the speed of his strokes while he’s still caressing her breasts.

“Does it feel the same way as it did when we were…”

He shakes his head. “No, not nearly as good – but it’s still better than just staying like this.”

“Can I…Can I try?” She has no idea what’s possessed her tonight - even this idea of doing something like this last evening would have been beyond impossible.

Ned’s clearly surprised by her request, but he eagerly takes her hand and positions it so that her fist is curved around him. His male member feels firm and hot against her palm. Nancy tentatively strokes upwards and then back down, unsure of what she’s doing.

“That’s so good,” Ned mutters huskily. “So incredibly good, sweetheart. Go a little faster, please? You can be a little rougher, too.” He lightly traces his fingertip around her erect nipple.

“Sorry,” she says, feeling foolish for not knowing what to do.

“No, sweetheart – it’s okay. I love having your hand around me.” He gives her a kiss and she enjoys the sensation of his tongue swirling against hers.

They’re kissing while she continues to slide her hand over him and he continues to caress her breasts. Nancy can’t believe she’s doing this but she keeps reminding herself that she’s a married woman who’s pleasuring her husband. She loves him and he loves her, and they’re expressing their love physically.

“Mmm, Nancy….Sweetheart, your hand feels so good on me.” He gently tries to push her hand aside, and she gives him a curious look.

“Don’t you want me to keep going?”

“Sweetheart, if you keep going, then I’m going to…do what I did before right before we finished making love,” Ned tells her between gritted teeth. His breathing is labored.

She hastily pulls her hand away and he immediately replaces it with his own, frantically yanking up and down. Ned’s face is contorted in nearly the identical way it was when he was buried inside of her earlier that evening, and he emits a hoarse cry as she watches a stream of white fluid coat his fist.

He drops onto his back, panting, much like he was earlier.

“Nancy, sweetheart, can you please grab me a tissue?” he asks after a few minutes, after his breathing has regulated.

After hitching up the sheet to cover herself, she reaches over and plucks two from the box on her nightstand, passing them to him before she reaches for her nightgown, which is still on the floor.

As Nancy pulls on her nightgown, Ned uses one tissue to wipe himself off, then takes the clean one and wraps it around the wadded-up dirty one, placing them on the table on his side of the bed. After slipping on his pajama bottoms, he flops onto his back and beckons for her to curl up to him; Nancy happily obeys.

“Ned, I’m sorry that we couldn’t do what you wanted to,” she says softly, looking up at his face to see if he’s angry or disappointed with her.

“It’s fine, Nancy – I promise.” He gives her a lazy smile and begins to stroke her hair. “What we just did was very enjoyable, sweetheart – you were perfect.”

“Thank you,” she whispers, feeling reassured.

“I hate to say this, but we should probably call down to the front desk for our wake-up call – we have to make sure we make our flight tomorrow. Otherwise, I’d be perfectly happy to just lie here with you in bed all day tomorrow.”

She blushes, but secretly agrees with him – the thought of being with him like this for an entire day is completely lovely.

“Our parents would be awfully upset if we skipped out on the honeymoon they paid for,” she reminds him teasingly.

“I know,” he pretends to grumble. “But the only reason I’m not complaining too much is that I’ll have all kinds of alone time with you coming up.”

Nancy reluctantly pulls away from him to make the call; once she’s done, she flips off the light and slips back into his arms.

Ned cranes his neck down and uses his hand to tilt her chin up. “I can finally kiss you goodnight and not have to leave you.” His lips brush hers.

Her lips curve up against his mouth. “It is awfully nice.”

“It’s more than nice.” He kisses her again. “I love you, my beautiful Mrs. Nickerson.”

“I love you, my handsome Mr. Nickerson.”

“Sweet dreams, sweetheart.”

“They definitely will be,” Nancy tells him, dropping her head onto his chest and draping her arms around his waist. The sound of his heart beating beneath her ear lulls her to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: This is a continuation of let it be me, where Ned asked Carson for Nancy’s hand in marriage and Nancy accepted Ned’s proposal. They’re now man and wife, and are on their honeymoon. Just like last time, the story takes place in the early 60s; unlike last time, this story definitely is not PG. 
> 
> Before you protest that Nancy seems to be too naïve in this chapter, please note that the topics that she and Ned are discussing were not nearly as common as they are today. Also, they were also considered to be illegal.

Nancy reaches up to rub her nose, which is now slightly burnt. She had thought that the wide-brimmed sunhat she’d donned before they headed out for their daily excursion would provide enough protection, but she’s clearly underestimated how strong the sun’s rays are in mid-morning December in South Florida.

Ned looks over at her and squeezes her hand, which is linked in his. “Does your nose hurt, sweetheart?”

He looks incredibly handsome and relaxed in his sports shirt and shorts, the deeply tanned skin of his face a stark contrast to the flash of white teeth he displays with his smile.

Nancy shakes her head, returning his smile. “No, the skin just feels a little tight.”

“We can go inside, if you’d like?” he asks solicitously.

It’s the fifth day of their honeymoon, and she and Ned are on a small ship. After a few days of sunning themselves on the beach, they had decided to drive over to Fort Lauderdale and take a leisurely day cruise of the Intercoastal Waterway. They’ve enjoyed the tour guide’s narration but are glad for the silence as the boat makes its way back to Fort Lauderdale.

“No, thanks,” she replies, smoothing the skirt of her coral-colored cotton sun frock. Ned had teasingly tried to undo the tie at her waist and slip off her dress before they’d left the hotel room, she remembers, trying not to flush.

“I’m enjoying the beautiful weather – it’s a treat to be outdoors while our friends and family back home are likely trudging through the snow while they rush around to get their Christmas shopping done.”

Ned chuckles. “I know. Maybe we should stay down here and never go back,” he jokes. Nancy briefly imagines what it would be like if she and Ned permanently lived in a locale that’s sunny and warm year-round; besides missing her father and Hannah and Bess and George, she can’t really seem to come up with a downside.

“That sounds wonderful,” she sighs dreamily. “We could get a little house by the water...”

“I was kidding, but if you’re really serious…”

“I’m not,” she tells him. “Just daydreaming. It’s been so lovely to be here. With you,” she finishes softly.

Ned ducks his head down and moves his mouth to hers before throwing his arm around her shoulders and drawing her to his side. “I feel the same way, sweetheart. I’ve really enjoyed spending every day with you. And every night.”

Even though his voice is low, she’s embarrassed at the thought of anyone else hearing his words. “Ned,” she says quietly.

He’s clearly enjoying the flush his words have brought to her cheeks. “How many times do I have to tell you, Nancy? We’re married now – it’s okay.”

“I know,” she shrugs, “but still.”

“We’re honeymooners – people fully expect us to be so besotted with each other that we spend all of our time in our room or thinking about being in our room,” Ned reminds her, still whispering.

“Yes, but _they_ don’t have to think about us being in our room,” she whispers back.

She’s interrupted by the arrival of a middle-aged couple settling down on the bench facing theirs.

“You two look so sweet together,” the woman tells them, beaming. “Newlyweds?”

“We are,” Ned confirms with an easy smile. “In fact, we’re on our honeymoon.”

“Oh, isn’t that wonderful? Charles, isn’t that wonderful?” She nudges the man sitting next to her with her elbow, but he just grunts in reply, folding his arms over his ample stomach.

The woman ignores her husband’s lack of response. “I should have known,” she coos at Nancy and Ned. “Just look at the two of you – why, you can barely keep your hands off of each other!”

Nancy thinks she’s spent more time blushing during the last five days than she possibly has in her entire life beforehand.

Ned just chuckles and dips his head in acknowledgement. “What can we say – we’re very much in love.”

“I think it’s lovely.” The woman sighs deeply and her mouth twists in a grimace as she points her thumb towards her husband. “Charles, don’t you remember what we were like when we were newly married?”

The man just makes another noise and deliberately pushes his glasses up on his nose.

“Forgive him,” the woman tells them, leaning forward. “He’s just upset that he’s lost his father’s watch.”

“I didn’t lose it – someone _took_ it,” her husband interrupts harshly.

Nancy perks up at that. “You think that someone took your watch?”   
  


Ned lets out a mock groan. “Uh oh.”

When the other woman gives him a puzzled look, he heaves a deep sigh. “You probably don’t know this, but my wife’s an amateur detective.”

“But, dear, you’re so young!” the woman bursts out.

Nancy laughs, too amused to be offended. “I am, but I’ve had some success with a few challenging cases.”

“Nancy’s being far too modest,” Ned proudly tells the older woman. “She’s solved many, many cases that have stumped policemen and investigators much older than she is. Her name’s been mentioned in more newspapers than you can imagine.”

“Ned,” Nancy rebukes her husband lightly, but she can’t really be angry with him. Even when she used to order him to stop bragging about her, she was always secretly pleased that he took pride in her accomplishments.

It was one of the first things she had come to love about him. Some of the men she had dated before him were annoyed or threatened by her fame, or they just couldn’t understand why she spent her time tracking down clues or suspects. While Ned had sometimes been disappointed when her detective work cut into their date time, he never once made her feel like a silly child, indulging herself with a frivolous hobby.

The woman cocks her head, and Nancy feels slightly uncomfortable under her frank scrutiny. “You do look awfully familiar. What did you say your name was, again?”

“I’m Nancy Drew. Well, Nancy Nickerson, now,” she amends, and it still makes her feel slightly giddy to speak her new last name. “And this is my husband Ned.”

Nancy snuggles even closer to Ned’s side, smiling up at him when he squeezes her shoulders affectionately.

“Nancy Drew!” the older woman exclaims. “Why, that’s how I know you! You’re the girl detective! Dear,” she says, again nudging her husband, “we read about her in the paper last month – don’t you remember? Something about a missing porcelain doll with a rare gold coin hidden in its body?”

The older man raises his half-glasses and studies Nancy’s face for the first time. “Yes, I think I do remember that. You recovered the doll after it had been stashed in a cave by the owner’s groundskeeper – and guessed that the coin was in the body.” His voice holds a note of grudging respect.

Nancy nodded. “Yes, it was a lucky find,” she says modestly.

“She suspected the groundskeeper all along,” Ned interjected.

“Honey, this is perfect – if anyone can find your missing watch, surely it’s Nancy Drew! Oh, excuse me – Nancy Nickerson,” the woman corrects herself, smiling.

“Mrs. Nickerson, I know that it’s your honeymoon, but would you mind lending your assistance once this cruise ends?” the older man inquires hopefully. “You could come to the hotel where my wife and I are staying and we could tell you about the watch over luncheon?”

“I’d be delighted!” Nancy exclaims, suddenly excited at the prospect of a new mystery.

She comes back to earth when she hears Ned discreetly clear his throat. “But this isn’t just _my_ honeymoon,” she finishes lamely. “Of course, I’d have to talk it over with my husband.”

“Of course,” the older man tells her, but she can tell he’s disappointed.

“Look, we don’t have any real plans for the rest of this afternoon,” Ned says. “We’d be happy to join you for luncheon – and to hear about your missing watch.”

“Ned, do you mean it?” Nancy asks excitedly, turning to face him.

He nods. “These people need help, and you’re the perfect person to provide it.”

“Oh, you’re wonderful!” Nancy gives him a smacking kiss on the cheek under the amused gaze of the older couple.

They chat a little more with the older couple, learning that their names are Winifred and Charles Maxwell, and they’re originally from Dayton, Ohio. They’re staying at one of the luxury hotels in Miami Beach, not too far from the resort where Nancy and Ned’s are staying, and it’s decided that once the cruise ends, the four of them will go to luncheon at the Maxwells’ hotel.

Just before they step off of the gangplank and onto the dock, Nancy again asks Ned if he minds taking the time out of their day to track down Mr. Maxwell’s missing watch, when they could be spending it on the beach or at the aquarium or at a zoological garden. Ned just laughs and playfully taps the brim of her sunhat, telling her that he’d figured a mystery would somehow find her on their honeymoon; he’d just been surprised that it had taken all of five days to pop up

Nancy’s again grateful that she’s managed to find a man as wonderful as Ned and slips her hand into his as they make their way off of the ship.

\-- 

At a little after six that evening, Ned fits their large, heavy room key into the lock of their honeymoon suite and pushes open the door. The blast of cool air-conditioning that greets them feels very nice against their warm skin – despite the fact that the sun is setting, the temperature outside is still nearly eighty degrees.

“Ned, again, I’m so sorry,” Nancy tells her husband apologetically as he holds the door open for her and gestures for her to enter the room first. “I had no idea that it would take all day to search the Maxwells’ hotel room and ask the hotel staff about the missing watch.”

“It’s fine,” he replies, plopping down onto their bed. “You lit up at the prospect of a new mystery to solve, so how could I let you turn it down?”

Nancy drops down next to him and plants a kiss on his cheek. “That was very sweet of you, Ned. It would have been perfectly reasonable for you to tell me no.”

“But that would have made you unhappy, Nancy. I told you the night we got engaged, and again when we said our vows: your happiness is what’s the most important to me, sweetheart. And I promised you that I wouldn’t stand in the way of your detective work.”

“I’m a very lucky girl,” she tells him.

“And I’m a very lucky man.” Ned leans over and gives her a lingering kiss. She feels warm again, but it has nothing to do with the air temperature.

“So, what time are our dinner reservations this evening?” she asks, reluctantly pulling away. Nancy had seen Ned chatting at length with the hotel’s concierge this morning, even after he’d gotten information about their day cruise.

“I thought we’d stay in tonight. After all, we had the cruise, and then we spent the day with the Maxwells…”

“Oh, “she replied, trying not to sound too disappointed. She’s enjoyed dressing up and going to dinner with him every night, then going dancing at the glamorous supper clubs lining 

Collins Avenue  . Then coming back to their hotel room and kissing and touching…

“Yes,” Ned’s now saying, nodding his head. “This way, we could just relax and get comfortable. Put on our pajamas and robes and have a quiet evening in.”

“Okay,” she shrugs. Her husband seems set on the idea and she doesn’t want to tell him no; after all, didn’t they spend most of their day working on her new case?

Ned beams at her. “Great. Why don’t you freshen up first, sweetheart?”

“Okay,” she repeats, getting up to gather some things from the dresser drawer. She thinks he’s up to something, but thanks to their encounter with the Maxwells, she’s got mystery on her mind.

Once the bathroom door is closed behind her, Nancy looks at herself in the mirror and sighs. She and Ned haven’t made love since the second night of their honeymoon. That time, she had still been so sore and uncomfortable that Ned had felt guilty, despite her reassurances that she had been fine. He had known better.

Since then, he hasn’t attempted to make love to her again, although he does touch himself every night – with her help. They’ve also turned their evening bath into a nightly ritual, and it’s one that both she and Ned thoroughly enjoy. She finds it so soothing to lie in her husband’s arms in the warm, bubbly water each night – their newfound intimacy feels heady and sweet. She also suspects that Ned enjoys it because it’s a time when they’re nude together and that it will eventually lead to them having intercourse again.

Although he hasn’t been pressuring her in the slightest, his obvious desire for her and her reluctance are like a weight between them. Nancy knows that he must be thinking of it every morning and every night and worries that he’s disappointed that their honeymoon isn’t turning out the way he’d hoped, despite his reassurances otherwise.

After washing her face and brushing her hair, Nancy looks down at the items she’s grabbed from the dresser drawer. The short, sheer chiffon blush pink peignoir with white embroidery and matching frilly panties had seemed sweet and innocent when she’d purchased them before the honeymoon; now, a slight tremor goes through her as she imagines Ned’s reaction to it. Of all of the adjectives that will come to his mind, she has a feeling that ‘adorable’ won’t be one of them.

Nancy debates putting on the sheer robe that goes with the nightie, but instead grabs for the thick white terrycloth robe hanging on the hook next to the shower. Once she slips it on, she pinches her cheeks to add a bit of color to them and goes back into their bedroom, where she sees that Ned’s already changed into his pajamas and has slipped his own robe over them. .

If he was expecting her to wear something more revealing, he doesn’t let it show.

“There you are, sweetheart. I took the liberty of calling room service for some hamburger sandwiches and French fried potatoes while you were in the bathroom – they should be here shortly.”

“Great,” she tells him with a smile, although she can’t remember hearing his voice on the phone through the thin bathroom door.

No sooner does she answer him than there is a knock at the door. “That was awfully fast,” Nancy tells him with a hint of suspicion in her voice. “Why do I feel like you’re planning something, Mr. Nickerson?”

Ned goes to the door, an enigmatic grin on his face. A room service waiter walks in with a wheeled tray laden with covered plates, a bucket filled with champagne and ice, and a vase of pink and white roses.

“Ned,” Nancy gasps.

He smiles at her again as he opens the sliding glass door of their balcony and directs the waiter to set up their meals on the table that’s on the balcony. One of the best features of their suite has been the balcony, which overlooks the beach and the ocean.

Once the waiter has finished setting the table, he lights the candles that he’s brought with him on his tray; her husband slips the waiter a tip before he leaves the room.

Ned walks over to the small transistor radio sitting on their bedside table and flips it on, smiling with satisfaction when a popular love song comes on. He turns up the volume so that it will be loud enough for them to hear from the table outside.

Once he’s satisfied, Ned gestures for her to go out to the balcony, where he pulls out her chair before seating himself.

“Not that I don’t love it when you dress up in one of those beautiful gowns of yours and when I get to show off my new wife in public, but I wanted to have you all to myself tonight.”

Nancy flushes with pleasure. “Ned, this is so sweet!” She looks down at her plate to find a heaping portion of lobster Thermidor with a side of asparagus spears, one of her favorite meals. “And so extravagant!”

“We’ll only be on our honeymoon once, sweetheart. I wanted to spoil you.”

“This was such a nice surprise, Ned – thank you. You’re a very thoughtful husband.”

He gives a dismissive wave, but she can tell that he’s pleased he’s made her happy. “Anything for my beautiful wife.”

“It’s wonderful,” she tells him sincerely. “And so is this view!”

The sunset is magnificent, the streaks of purple and pink fiercely beautiful, and she can hear the gentle lapping of the ocean as it crashes onto the beach thirty stories below them.

“I’m glad you like it, sweetheart. Here, let me get you some champagne.” Ned reaches over to the bucket and pulls out the bottle, wrestling with the cork. Once he’s able to get it out, he pours them each a generous amount in the flutes that the waiter has provided.

He raises his glass. “To my gorgeous, sweet, wonderful wife. These have been the best five days of my life, sweetheart, and it’s all because of you.”

Nancy honestly can’t remember the last time she’s been this happy. “And to my handsome, wonderful husband. These five days have been beautiful, thanks to you.”

They clink glasses and take a sip. The bubbles feel nice against her tongue, and the slight sweetness of the wine leaves a pleasant taste in her mouth.

As darkness falls, the stars become visible in the night sky, and Nancy feels completely relaxed and content as she enjoys her meal and her husband’s company on their balcony. The music wafting out of the radio in their room is a nice compliment to the sound of the ocean’s tide coming ashore.

The champagne is also making her slightly tipsy, and she’s enjoying the warm, tingly feeling coursing through her body – although, she must admit that at least some of that is coming from being so close to Ned and anticipating what they’ll do later tonight.

Once they’ve finished dinner, Nancy looks quizzically at the chocolate pots de crème that the waiter had set on the table. She has no idea how she’ll be able to get down dessert after such a big meal.

Ned obviously has the same thought. “Why don’t we save dessert for…later?”

“Good idea.”

“What do you say we go back into the room for some dancing?”

She looks at him in surprise. “You didn’t hire an orchestra to come to our room, did you?”

Ned laughs. “No, but only because the thought hadn’t occurred to me. I thought the radio would work – unless you want me to call and order an orchestra…”

“Wow, I guess you really meant it when you said that you would do anything to make me happy,” she teases. “The radio is perfectly fine, Ned – I promise.”

After blowing out the candles on the table, Ned picks up the dessert ramekins and carries them inside, and Nancy closes the balcony door once they’re both back in the room.

“I thought we could maybe leave it open a little,” he tells her, placing the desserts onto the top of the dresser. “Unless you’ll be too warm?”

“No, it would be lovely to hear the ocean,” she smiles at him, opening the door slightly.

Ned holds open his arms and she early goes into them, dreamily resting her head on his shoulder. They dance slow and close and she savors the feel of his body pressed so tightly against hers. Even though they’re married now, they would never be so improper as to dance this way in public, so Nancy’s again glad that Ned made plans for them to stay in tonight.

Ned bows his head and claims her mouth in what starts as gentle kiss but then deepens. The next thing she knows, his hands are caressing her bathrobe-clad bottom and his tongue is sliding against hers.

“Nancy,” he moans into her mouth. “Nancy.”   
  


She’s on fire and it’s only getting hotter – the temperature outside has nothing to do with it, either.

When he removes his mouth from hers, both of them are breathing heavy. “Nancy, I know that it’s been painful for you when we’ve made love, but is there any way we can please try again? Please? I promise I’ll take it so slowly…”

Nancy feels a wave of dread in the pit of her stomach. She had known that it would only be a matter of time before he’d ask her again; she’d truthfully been surprised that he hadn’t done so sooner. Besides, she couldn’t blame him – she’d heard from her married chums that their husbands had requested relations every single night of their honeymoons, regardless of how their wives had felt about it.

“Ned, I…I feel like I’m a terrible wife to you,” she confesses quietly.

“Nancy, no. Sweetheart, you aren’t. You’re just not used to it.”

“That’s the thing – I don’t know if I ever _will_ get used to it,” Nancy admits. It’s terrible to have to say this, but she wants to be as honest as possible with him.

“You will, sweetheart,” he soothes her. “Don’t worry –after all, we have a lifetime to get it right.”

“A lifetime,” she echoes, smiling. “I like the sound of that.”

“Why don’t you think of it as…as a challenge?” Ned proposes, a gleam in his eye.

“A challenge?”   
  


“Yes – something for you to master, just like tap dancing or scuba diving or digging for ancient artifacts…. After all, you’ve never shied away from a challenge before, right?”

“Right,” she says slowly.

“Something for us to learn together – what you like, what makes you feel good.”

“It felt good when you touched me,” she murmurs, not looking up at his face.

“So I’ll do that again. I’ll use my hands and I’ll kiss you and stroke you and we’ll go so, so slowly.”

His words are making the flesh between her legs twinge and her pulse race. Still, it had hurt so much, even the second time…

“Sweetheart, I love you and I want us to be intimate, but I don’t want to pressure you. So if you still really aren’t ready to try again…”

Nancy pulls back from his arms and looks at him. He’s got such a bashful, tentative expression on her face that she forgets her fears. Ned’s her husband and he’s been more than patient with her – after all, she hadn’t even let him do anything except kiss her before they’d been man and wife.

She’d heard from some of her other chums that they’d given their fiancées certain liberties once they were engaged – the thought of it had made her blush in mortification - but Ned had never once even attempted to cross the line with her. He’s always been a perfect gentleman, kind and considerate, and has always put her wants and needs ahead of his. Because of this, Nancy hates having to deny him something that will obviously make him happy.

Ned’s still looking down at her with a sweet earnestness, and she suddenly decides to put aside her own feelings and give in to her husband’s request.

She reaches for the sash of her terrycloth robe and slowly undoes it, Ned’s gaze following her every movement. When the robe falls to the floor, he sucks in an audible breath.

“You really know how to tempt a man,” he murmurs, and he’s staring at her like he’s trying to drink in her appearance. “Your golden skin, that sheer little pink number, those pretty panties…”

“Let’s….let’s go to bed,” she whispers. She’s enjoying his reaction, despite the fact that she’s still not used to seeing it from him.

“You won’t have to convince me, sweetheart,” he smiles.

Ned takes her by the hand and leads her to the bed, pushing back the covers and motioning for her to climb in. Once she’s on her back on the bed, he undoes his own robe, revealing the black cotton pajamas underneath.

He settles down next to her and begins kissing her again, and Nancy starts to feel her nerves dissipate, for she genuinely likes being so close to him. After a few minutes of kissing, the music playing softly in the background and the crashing of the ocean’s waves a distant soundtrack, she begins to relax completely.

This time, she doesn’t even pull away when his large, warm hand settles on her breast through the flimsy material of her nightie. When he begins rubbing his palm over her in slow strokes, she lets out an inadvertent sigh against his lips.

Ned disengages his mouth from hers, smiling down at her. “I love you,” he whispers.

“I love you, too,” she whispers back, returning his smile.

“Can I…can I take off your nightgown?” Each night, he asks before undressing her, and Nancy finds it sweet that he’s so considerate with her.

Nancy nods, swallowing, but not because she’s afraid – it’s because she’s looking forward to what’ll happen next.

Ned gently reaches for the satin ribbon at the base of her throat and undoes it; when both sides are open, he eases the nightgown off of her shoulders and tosses it over the side of the bed. All she’s wearing now are her wedding and engagement rings and the ridiculous frilly panties.

“Gorgeous,” he mutters. “I know I tell you this every night, but it’s true – sweetheart, you are so gorgeous.”

“Thank you,” she giggles with pleasure. Without thinking, she tentatively reaches for the top button of his pajama top, then snatches her hand back when she comes back to her senses.

He gives her a wide grin. “Sweetheart, if you want to undress me, go right on ahead. I promise I’ll never tell you no.”

She giggles again, this time from nerves, but puts her hand back on the top button, slowly undoing it. After unbuttoning his entire pajama top, she pushes it off of his shoulders. Ned helps her and tosses it over the side of the bed so that it lands next to her peignoir.

Nancy knows she’s seen him every night of their honeymoon, but it takes everything in her not to gape at the sight of his firm, muscular arms and chest, now bronzed from the Miami sun.

Ned settles down on top of her, her breasts pressed firmly against his chest, and they resume kissing for a while. The sensation of his tongue sliding across hers is delicious, almost distracting her from the fact that she can feel his male member hardening through the cotton of his pajama pants and the fabric of her panties.

He breaks away again, quickly shedding his pants, and begins planting kisses on her chin, her neck, and the hollow of her throat. When his lips graze down to the tops of her breasts, she tilts her head back so he can have better access.

Ned places one gentle kiss on her left nipple before licking it. The feeling of his tongue on her like this makes her shiver. He then begins lavishing attention on her right breast, and Nancy sighs.

His mouth moves to the undersides of her breasts, then he traces his tongue over each of her ribs. When he dips it into her navel, she giggles, but doesn’t push her husband away.

After planting a kiss just below her navel, he pauses and looks up at her. The simmering desire in his gaze makes her stomach flutter.

“Do you trust me?” Ned suddenly asks.

“Of course,” she replies softly. “Ned, of course – I trust you with my life. After all, you’ve saved it more times than I can count.”

He chuckles quietly. “I’m not talking about that, sweetheart. I’m talking about here – in bed. If I try something, will you trust me?”

Nancy looks at him, puzzled. “Of course,” she repeats. “But what if…what if I don’t like it?”

“Then I’ll stop – immediately. That’s the rule between us, okay? Anytime I do something you don’t like, tell me and that’ll be the end of it. I promise.”

“Okay,” she replies tentatively. She really does trust him – she always has.

After sliding down her panties, Ned gently parts her thighs and looks up at her. When he feels her tense, he pats her shin reassuringly. “No, don’t, sweetheart. Just feel – don’t think.”

“I…”

“You said you trusted me. Please, sweetheart, let me.”

She gives him a tiny nod and tries her best to relax as Ned begins kissing her inner thighs. The stubble from his chin feels nice against her skin and she feels her eyes drift closed, willing herself not to pull away. He’s her husband, after all, and he’s been more than patient with her.

Despite her promise to let him try whatever it is that’s on his mind, Nancy’s incredibly startled to feel Ned’s tongue against her inner flesh.

“Ned! What are you doing?” she gasps, trying to close her legs, which she can’t quite do because he’s lying between them.

“Shhh,” he soothes her. “Just feel. If you really, really hate this, I’ll stop, but let me at least try it? It’s supposed to make you feel good.”

She looks down at him, deliberating, then gives a tiny nod of approval. He smiles at her and begins kissing the insides of her thighs again before slowly running his tongue over her once more. He’s gently licking her and it feels so nice that she opens her legs even wider without thinking about it.

His tongue continues to work against her flesh in slow, deliberate strokes, and Nancy arches her back from the incredible pleasure he’s giving her. None of her chums ever talked about doing things like this with their husbands - surely it must be wrong.

He raises his head. “Sweetheart, it’s not wrong – we’re married and we love each other and I want to make you feel good. Making love isn’t wrong when it’s between a husband and wife.”

Nancy is startled; she didn’t realize that she’d spoken the words aloud. “Oh.”

“Do you like this, Nancy?”   
  


“Mmm,” she sighs blissfully. He resumes his licking and when he replaces his mouth with his fingertips, she lets out a cry of disappointment. Until his fingertips begin caressing the flesh that he was just working with his tongue.

“My beautiful wife,” Ned says softly before kissing the inside of her right thigh.. “My sexy, beautiful wife.”

She says his name softly, her eyes screwed shut as she just enjoys the feeling of his hands and mouth on her body. Her fingers are twisted tightly in his hair and her fingernails are digging into the flesh of his shoulders.

“How’s that?” he whispers after taking another lick.

The feeling of his fingertips and tongue stroking against the bud of sensitive flesh between her legs is driving her mad.

“Good,” she whispers back in what is surely the understatement of the century.

“I’m glad,” he tells her, smiling softly. “Because you are so beautiful right now, and you taste delicious.” Ned licks her again, his tongue slowly flicking up and down.

She knows she should probably be embarrassed by what he’s doing to her, and it feels incredibly wanton to be lying here with her legs spread wide, but if she makes even the slightest sound of protest, he’ll stop, and that’s the absolute last thing she wants. Her hips are undulating, she’s breathing heavier, and she feels a tightening, like there’s a coiled spring within her, just waiting to burst free.

“Oh,” she murmurs as he places a kiss between her legs and reaches up to play with her breasts at the same time. “Ohhhh, Ned.”

“That’s it, sweetheart. Just enjoy how good it feels to have your husband love you.” His voice is rumbling against her delicate flesh and the timbre of it, low and deep, is so wicked.

He keeps going for another few minutes, alternating between his fingers and mouth, and the pressure just keeps getting more intense. She can also feel the flesh between her legs become slick – some of the moisture is from his tongue, but it’s also her body’s natural response to him.

Ned’s voice cuts through her reverie. “Sweetheart, can I enter you now? Please?”

“Yes,” she gasps breathlessly. She’ll let him have whatever he wants right now.

He needs no further urging. Ned surges up her body and plunges his manhood inside of her. Nancy still feels slightly sore when he thrusts but now she’s just so overloaded with sensations that she doesn’t protest.

He’s stroking in and out of her and muttering her name and despite her discomfort, she’s starting to enjoy the sensation of him making love to her like this.

“You feel so damn good,” Ned tells her hoarsely. “So damn _good_. My gorgeous, sexy wife – my Nancy. So wet and tight and….Oh….Oh.”

He’s moving faster now and Nancy feels that pressure growing even stronger. She whimpers as he reaches down to touch the bud between her legs even as he’s thrusting within her. It’s painful and pleasurable, all at the same time.

“God, baby,” he growls. “Sweetheart, are you about to come?”

“Come where?” she pants, confused.

“Climax,” Ned hisses. “Sweetheart, are you about to climax?”

She still doesn’t understand what he’s saying. “I…I…”

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I tried to hold off as long as I could…” His back suddenly goes rigid, he lets out a loud cry, and she feels him spend himself between her thighs again. She’s frustrated to find that she’s still got that unreleased tension at her core.

He collapses on top of her, and all she can hear is his panting. She tentatively pats his back, which is now warm and sweaty, and he buries his face in her neck, kissing the soft skin there before his lips meet hers. Nancy can taste a slight saltiness on his tongue that probably came from when his mouth was between her legs, and she flushes slightly.

After a few minutes, he rolls off of her and onto his side. “Sweetheart, I am so sorry. I tried so hard to wait for you, but it was so wonderful to make love to you again.”

“I’m glad that you enjoyed it,” she tells him truthfully. Her insides still hurt a little and she’s throbbing weakly.

“Did you climax?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, when you become....aroused… and make love, it can result in a release, like the one I just had inside of you, or like what I’ve been doing when we’ve been playing in bed this week.”

_Playing in bed._ Nancy’s amused by his turn of phrase. “Oh.”

“Since you’re asking me, I guess you didn’t have one.” His look of disappointment touches her.

“I’m sorry,” she tells him, curving her palm around his cheek. “I felt like there was this tension building inside of me, but nothing happened. I still…liked it. It didn’t hurt nearly as much as the last two times.”

“Well, I’m glad about that, but I wish that you were able to enjoy it as much as I do.”

“You said that it would just take some practice,” Nancy points out.

His lips quirk upwards. “Are you saying that we’ll spend more time practicing this week?”

She returns his smile. “Maybe, if you do the thing you were doing to me before.”

Ned laughs. “You liked that, huh?”

Nancy snuggles up closer to him. “I did. It felt very wanton and wrong, but like you said, we’re married.”   
  


“We are – and being intimate is part of being married, Nancy.”

“Mmm,” she agrees, closing her eyes as he began to stroke her hair. “Ned?”

“Hmmm?”

What is that called, anyway? Does it even have a name?”

“It does,” Ned replies. “It’s oral sex – sometimes known as going down on a woman - but the real term for it is cunnilingus.”

“Oh.” The word sounds exotic and slightly naughty, which makes sense, given what it’s describing. “Do most husbands do that to their wives?”

Even though she’s asked the question, Nancy’s positive that they don’t, because her married chums have all told her that they just lie there and wait for their husbands to be done when they wish to be intimate – and that they’re glad when it’s over. Surely if they had experienced what she just had, they would look forward to being with their husbands.

Only Helen Corning Archer – in a moment of candid revelation after one too many white wine spritzers at a Garden Club luncheon – has ever admitted not minding it when her husband asks her to have relations. Although Helen certainly never mentioned anything like this.

“Probably not.” There’s a note of amusement in his tone. “It’s not common, but the book said that most women like it once they have it done to them. And that it’s a good method to try to get a woman to relax enough to enjoy making love. But some men probably wouldn’t like doing it.”

“But you did?”

“I did,” Ned acknowledges. “Because it gave me the chance to touch and kiss the most intimate part of you, Nancy. I love you, and I enjoyed being able to express that love with my body.”

She smiles. “And is there a male equivalent?”

“Of cunnilingus?”

“Yes – is there?”

“There is.”

“What’s that called?” Her natural curiosity is kicking in again. Even as early as week ago, she would have been shocked and horrified to have this conversation with him –oh, it’s still slightly odd, but at least she feels slightly more comfortable. She still has her eyes closed, though.

“It’s called fellatio, sweetheart.”

_Fellatio_ \- she mouths the word. “And what happens?”

He shifts so that he can scratch his knee; once he’s done, he again draws her to his side. “You really want to know?”

She nods against his shoulder and he sighs. “This is making me aroused again, but here goes. The woman takes the man’s…male part…into her mouth and sucks and licks it until he has his release.”

“Oh.” Nancy’s sure that her face is bright red as she tries to process this new information. The thought of putting Ned’s male member into her mouth and doing… _that_ …is surreal.

“And he likes it?”

“Usually, yes – very much. But I’d never ask you to do that if you weren’t comfortable with it, Nancy,” he adds quickly. “Right now we’re still getting used to doing other things.”

“Okay.” She drapes her arm around his bare midriff, her cheek pressed to his chest. Ned strokes her bare back.

“Ned?” she asks after another minute.

He makes a noise of contentment. “Yes, sweetheart?”

“Did you learn how to do… _that_ …in those books you spoke about the other night? Or…or have you done it to someone else?” She’s deliberately keeping her eyes closed so she doesn’t have to see his face when he gives her his reply.

“From the books, Nancy. I have never done… _that_ …with anyone but you. Open your eyes and look at me, please?”

The sincerity in his voice causes her to obey his request. “You can tell me the truth, Ned. You’re a very handsome man and you were already in college when we met…” She wants him to be honest with her, but the thought of him being like this with another woman saddens her.

“I am telling you the truth, sweetheart,” he insists, looking into her eyes, and she believes him. “I have never been with another woman. I’ve done some silly fumbling in the back seat of my car when I was in high school, but I’ve never made love to anyone else, Nancy – not with my mouth, not with my fingers, and not with any other part of my body, either.”

She’s incredibly relieved and happy but she still can’t quite let the topic go. “And did they…do that other thing with you?” Even though she now knows the word, Nancy can’t bring herself to say it.

“The other thing?” He sounds confused at first but quickly catches her meaning. “Oh! Fellatio?” She nods against his chest, her hair brushing his breastbone. “No! No, sweetheart – no one has ever done that to me.”

“Okay.” She’s silent for another minute until she can’t hold in one more question. “What kind of fumbling did you do with those other girls, Ned?”

He chuckles. “I should have known better than to try and be vague with the daughter of a famous lawyer – one who’s a famous detective in her own right.

“I kissed a few girls before you and a few of them let me touch them over their sweaters, but that was it, really. I’ve never had relations with any of them, I’ve never seen them naked, and I’ve most definitely never done what I just did to you to anyone else.”

“Good,” she tells him with a smile on her face. “So, those other girls that let you touch them…” Ned lets out a mock groan but she keeps going. “Were they…Were their…”

“Honey, they were smaller in that area and were not nearly as beautiful as you,” Ned finishes her sentence, obviously amused.

She closes her eyes again and lets her head drop onto his shoulder. “I’m glad. Because you’re mine.”

“And you’re mine.” She can hear the smile in his voice. “So, now that we’ve gotten that conversation out of the way, can I talk you into another one of our baths?”

“I’d like that.” Nancy opens her eyes and kisses him.

“Me, too.” He drops a kiss on the top of her head before climbing out of bed. Neither of them bothers with their robes as they make their way to the bathroom.

Her hand is on the knob to the bathroom door when she pauses. “Ned, what you just did to me…was that even legal?”

He laughs. “Well, technically…no. Even though we’re married, there are laws against it in most states, including this one and our own. But it’s not like anyone would find out what we do in our marriage bed, Nancy. And, besides – we know a great defense attorney.”

Nancy giggles at that, although the idea of her father finding out about what she and Ned have been doing over these last five days is mortifying. She’s sure that he knows she and Ned have been intimate, of course – everyone’s made joking comments about their honeymoon at her shower and at the wedding – but it would be beyond embarrassing for anyone to know the details.

“What do you say to us bringing the candles into the bathroom with us – and eating those pots de crème into the tub?” he suggests, a sly grin on his face.

“Candlelight, a bath, and dessert, all at the same time? Sounds very romantic,” Nancy teases him.

“I knew that you were the perfect girl for me,” Ned tells her happily, dropping a brief kiss onto her lips before opening the bathroom door. “I’ll run the bath, then get everything.”

“While you are very good at it, I can run the bath,” she smiles. “That way, the water will be nice and warm when you’re ready to join me in the tub.”

“Hmm, I like your idea better.” He gives her another kiss.

“Hurry back, Mr. Nickerson.”

“Oh believe me, I will, Mrs. Nickerson.” Ned winks at her before gently patting her naked bottom.


	3. Chapter 3

“So, we can’t account for two of the bell staff’s whereabouts around the time your watch went missing, Charles. They haven’t responded to the hotel’s requests for me to interview them, nor has anyone seen them in days,” Nancy summarizes, picking up her glass of lemonade. She’s grateful that the waitress has just come by to give them refills, because the afternoon sun is blazing hot out here on the veranda of the Maxwells’ hotel.

“Then surely they’re the ones who took it,” Charles insists excitedly.

“Maybe not,” Nancy tells him. “After all, it could just be a silly coincidence. Stranger things have happened. Or maybe they know something about who really took the watch and that person is threatening them to keep quiet.”

“Do you really think so?” Winifred asks, nibbling at her chicken salad sandwich.

Nancy shrugs before removing the thin white cotton cardigan that she’d donned to ward off the chill of the hotel’s air conditioning, mouthing the words _thank you_ to Ned when he helps her slip it all the way off and drapes it over the back of her chair. “It’s possible.

“However, I think I’ll take the manager up on the offer to get their home addresses so we can go through their neighborhoods this afternoon. Even if they’re not home, perhaps their neighbors may know something. If that’s okay with you, Ned?” she adds hastily, turning to her husband. “We only have a few days left of our honeymoon, and I wasn’t sure if you wanted us to tour of the nature trail that you’d mentioned to me the other day.“

“It’s fine,” Ned nods, a look of amusement on his tanned, handsome face. “We can work on the case.”

“I must say that you’re very patient with Nancy,” Winifred informs them, smiling. “Many husbands wouldn’t put up with this. Especially on their honeymoons.”

“I know I wouldn’t,” Charles snickers, earning a mock glare from his wife.

“I don’t mind it – look how happy it makes her. Who would I be to deny her that happiness?” Ned teases gently, tugging on one of the curls resting on Nancy’s shoulder.

Their time in the sun has made her blonde hair even lighter than usual; it’s also resulted in a new sprinkling of freckles across her nose and cheeks. That very morning, Ned had kissed those freckles as a means of awakening her. He’d then let his hands wander underneath the sheet to stroke her body…

Shivering slightly at the memory, Nancy snaps back to the present and curls her hand around Ned’s. “I married a wonderful man,” she tells the Maxwells. “The kindest, most understanding one on earth.”

“Remember this when the babies are sick and crying and you haven’t managed to get dressed or brush your hair and he’s irritated when you can’t have dinner on the table when he walks in the door from work,” Winifred replies, winking. “When you won’t be able to stand the sight of him after he’s tracked mud onto your freshly washed floors or he’s come home late from the office and the dinner you’ve left warming in the oven has been ruined.”

Nancy feels a momentary surge of panic, thanks to the scenarios that the older woman has laid out but then reminds herself that all of the things Winifred just described are a long ways away. Right now, it’s just her and her new husband and they’re still blissfully happy and everything will still be new and fun and novel when they return to River Heights.

Besides, she can’t seem to picture her and Ned fighting about mundane household things – she’s probably being terribly naïve, but whenever she’s pictured their life back home, she’s imagined him coming home with flowers every night and praising her meals, even if they’re burnt or too salty. Then after talking with him about what they’ve each done that day, watching television curled up at his side on the sofa until they go upstairs to be intimate…

“Nancy, are you all right?” Winifred inquires solicitously, and Nancy snaps out of her reverie to find the older woman, Charles, and Ned staring at her curiously.

“Sorry – yes. I was just…thinking about the bellhops again,” she fibs, taking another sip of her lemonade.

“It’s settled, then - we’ll go to their homes and see what we can find out,” Ned says decisively, taking a bite of his BLT. “And if we still can’t get a good lead, we’ll follow up again tomorrow.”

\--

I thought for sure we’d catch them, Ned,” Nancy sighs, tossing her binoculars onto the bench seat between them. “I just don’t understand it! Where on earth could they be?”

They’ve spent hours canvassing both hotel employees’ neighborhoods, talking to their neighbors, but can’t seem to get any information on where to find the missing men. During the last half hour, she and Ned have been sitting in their rental automobile and watching the house of the older of the two missing employees. It’s still brutally, unbearably hot, and the back of her neck prickles from the humidity.

Ned reaches over and pats her knee through the cotton of her flowered sports dress. “You tried your best, sweetheart.” His sport shirt clings to his muscular chest, thanks to the rivers of perspiration making its way down his front.

“I know, but they have to be the key to this mystery, Ned!” Nancy exhales, frustrated.

“Maybe we’ll come back tomorrow morning and they’ll be back then,” Ned suggests. His hand is still on her knee; now, he’s inching it ever so slightly under the skirt of her skirt to rub her thigh.

The flush on her face has nothing to do with the late afternoon heat. “Ned,” she protests weakly. It’s not that she doesn’t like it, but it would still be very embarrassing if anyone were to walk by and catch them.

“Just trying to come up with a way to make you feel better,” he tells her impishly. “Besides, we’d better go – we promised we’d meet everyone by six, and we still need to get back to our hotel to change.”

Nancy quickly glances down at her watch and gasps when she catches sight of the time. “Ned! Why did you let me stay here so long?” They have plans to go to a supper club with two newlywed couples they met at their resort’s pool earlier in the week, and they both definitely need time to freshen up.

Ned gives her a wide grin. “Because I know better than to try and tear you away from a case when you’re hot on the heels of a suspect?”

She slides over on the bench seat and plants a kiss on his damp cheek. “Well, I appreciate it, but we really are late. Can you drive us back to the hotel? If we leave now and get dressed quickly, we’ll just make it.”

Ned starts the car and glances at her as he pulls away from the curb. “I can think of one way that we’ll really save time while we’re getting ready.”

“What’s that?” Nancy asks, flipping on the air conditioner.

“Showering together.”

\--

Nancy applies a coat of mascara and slips in her pearl earrings before stepping backwards and surveying her reflection in the full-length mirror hanging next to the closet.

The floor-length, pale yellow evening dress is the one that she had worn to an Emerson dance a few years ago. That had been the dance when Diane Dight had intercepted the invitation that Ned had sent to Nancy, and Nancy had been sick at the thought of him escorting someone as dreadful as Diane. Back then, she hadn’t been able to name the feelings that the episode had brought out in her; now, Nancy knew that it had meant she had been falling in love with him.

Ned emerges from the bathroom wearing a tuxedo, and Nancy’s pulse quickens at the sight of him. He comes up behind her and kisses her neck, nearly causing her knees to weaken.

“Gorgeous – you look gorgeous, Nancy. And I seem to recall you wearing that dress while I held you in my arms on the dance floor at Emerson.”

Nancy’s pleased that he remembers. “That was a nice evening.”

“It was,” Ned agrees, bending down slightly to wrap his arms around her waist. “But tonight will be even nicer. Want to know how I know?” When she nods, he plants another kiss on the side of her neck. “Because it started out with me taking a shower with my gorgeous, sexy wife.”

She flushes at the memory of him washing her back – then her front – before kissing her senseless against the wall of the shower, his body pressed tightly against hers.

“Mr. Nickerson, you’d better behave yourself in public this evening,” she informs him loftily.

“I can do that – as long as you promise that I won’t have to behave myself when we come back here at the end of the evening. And that you’ll stay awake for me, Mrs. Nickerson.” Ned’s eyes meet hers in the mirror, and she shivers at the expression of desire she finds in his gaze.

Last evening, she had been so tired from their day of investigating her mystery and then lounging by the pool, she had drowsed in his arms during their bath. Ned had roused her with a gentle kiss and had then carried her to bed, tenderly dressing her in one of her modest cotton nightgowns before placing her between the sheets. Nancy had proceeded to fall back to sleep the moment he had pulled the covers over them and drawn her to his chest.

“I promise,” she now whispers.

“Then you have a deal.” Ned gently steers her around by the shoulders so that she’s facing him and kisses her.

“This is nice, but I guess we have to leave now,” Nancy sighs. She reluctantly pulls away from him and steps into her gold high-heeled pumps before picking up the wrap she had draped across the bed earlier.

“You’ll just have to give me more kisses later,” he tells her lightly.

\--

Nancy takes a bite of her Beef Wellington, savoring the combination of creamy pâté and crispy puff pastry around generously-sized medallions of tenderloin. “Ummm,” she sighs.

Of all of the supper clubs they’ve visited during their week in South Florida, this one is most definitely the nicest. The food is unbelievably decadent, the décor is the very definition of understated elegance, and the clientele is dressed in expensive, tasteful evening wear.

“Delicious, isn’t it?” Ned agrees, forking up some of the rich entrée from his own plate.

“Sweetheart, if you can learn how to make this when we get back home, you’ll be the hostess of the most popular dinner parties in town.”

“Good luck with that,” Tex tells them from across the table, winking at Ned. His real name is Thaddeus Stonebriar, IV and he’s the son of an oilman; he picked up his nickname from being a Texan who had attended Ole Miss. “After two months of marriage, I can barely get Dottie to boil water for spaghetti.”

“Oh, hush,” Dottie playfully reprimands her husband, slapping him on his shoulder. “You knew that I wasn’t much of a cook before you married me. That’s why we’re hirin’ Delilah, remember?”

She’s the quintessential Southern belle, her long red hair curled becomingly around a face that’s distinguished by a creamy complexion, delicate bone structure, and big blue eyes framed with long lashes. Her real name is Dorothy, but her propensity for wearing polka dots had led her friends and family to label her Dottie.

“Margie’s a wonderful cook,” the tall, blonde, and attractive man seated opposite of Nancy tells them loyally. “Every time we host my boss and my other coworkers for dinner, they rave about her food – and about the wonderful flower arrangements she always creates as centerpieces.”

“Oh, stop, Will,” Margie replies. She’s blushing slightly, but is clearly enjoying the praise from her husband.

Margie’s a plain girl, with mousy brown hair, non-descript features, and a slightly chubby figure, but you wouldn’t know it from the way that Will always gazes at her, Nancy thinks to herself with gentle amusement. His frank expression of love and adoration reminds her of how her own husband looks at her.

“Well, Nancy can do anything she sets her mind to,” Ned tells them loyally, and Nancy flashes him a quick smile before taking another forkful of her meal.

“See, why can’t you be as sweet as Ned and Will are?” Dottie playfully pokes Tex in his hard-muscled shoulder. “Look how complimentary they are of _their_ wives.”

“Aww, don’t be mad. You know I love ya, honey,” Tex teases his wife right back before giving her a smacking kiss on the cheek.

“Besides,” Dottie replies, a wicked glint in her eyes, “my cooking abilities weren’t the ones you married me for, darlin’. You were more interested in my other...skills.”

Dottie and the men at the table chuckle knowingly, but both Nancy and Margie flush when they realize exactly what it is that Dottie’s referring to.

“These green beans almandine are divine,” Margie says, deftly changing the subject.

Will makes a noise of agreement. “Yours are better, though, honey,” he tells his wife.

The topics of discussion at the table remain neutral throughout the remainder of their meal, for which Nancy’s relieved and grateful.

After they’ve gotten through their main courses, Dottie pushes back her chair from the table. “I don’t know about you ladies, but I sure could use a trip to the little girls’ room,” she declares as she gets to her feet.

Nancy and Margie also rise from their seats and follow Dottie through the maze of tables and tuxedoed waiters to the rest room.

After they emerge from their stalls and wash their hands, the ladies’ room attendant hands each of them thick, fluffy hand towels and proffers a bottle of luxuriously creamy, richly-scented hand lotion.

Nancy’s slightly astonished when Dottie reaches into her purse and pulls out a crisp twenty-dollar bill, which she drops into the gratuity jar on the gold-flecked marble countertop. She reaches into her own evening clutch to fish out money, but Dottie waves her away.

“I’ve covered it for all three of us, darlin’,” she tells Nancy and Margie. “Don’t you worry.”

“That’s very generous, but-“

“Nancy, I said don’t worry about it!” Dottie insists. “Honey, Tex is filthy rich – and he gives me a _huge_ weekly allowance!”

“Thank you,” Nancy replies, electing not to push.

As they walk out into the lounge area of the rest room, Dottie flounces down onto one of the overstuffed couches. “I picked these damned shoes because they’re just so precious and go so perfectly with my dress, but they hurt like hell,” she moans, crossing one leg over the other so she can ease off her silver satin pumps and rub her feet.

“They are darling,” Margie agrees, sitting down on the chaise lounge next to the couch. She looks down at her own feet, which are encased in plain, sensible-heeled ivory evening shoes. They match her chocolate-colored gown, which Nancy thinks is pretty, but doesn’t do much to flatter Margie’s slightly sallow complexion.

Nancy settles in next to Margie on the chaise, and spots a quarter-sized purple mark on Dottie’s shin. “That looks painful,” she tells Dottie.

Dottie looks puzzled for a moment, until she follows Nancy’s gaze. “Oh, that?” she asks, lifting the crinolines of her silver-polka-dotted black skirt to peer down at the bruise on her shin. “Ugly, right? It smarted when I got it last night, but it’s not so bad now. I forget it’s even there.”

“I’m hopelessly clumsy,” Margie interjects shyly. “I’m forever tripping over things or bumping into them. Luckily, Will finds it adorable.”

“Will finds everything you do adorable,” Dottie tells her, an amused grin on her face. “That man is crazy about you, honey.”

Margie shrugs, but Nancy can tell that she’s pleased by what Dottie’s said.

“Anyway, I didn’t get this from trippin’ or bumpin’ into somethin’. I got it from,” Dottie drops her voice, even though they’re the only ones in the lounge, “ _bedroom activities_.”

At first, Nancy doesn’t understand what the redhead is referring to, but when the meaning of her words sinks in, she’s sure that her face is the same color as the crimson polish on Dottie’s toes.

“How on earth did you get that from bedroom activities?” Margie asks curiously, using the same tone that Dottie had. “I mean, when you’re in …bed-“

“Who says we were in bed, honey?” Dottie counters, interrupting. “Tex had me up on the desk and I slammed my shin against the drawer handle that was stickin’ out.”

Nancy’s trying to picture what Dottie’s described, but she can’t. She just can’t.

“On the desk?” Clearly, Margie’s just as incredulous as Nancy is.

“Why, yeah!” Dottie replies, a naughty grin turning up the corners of her mouth. “Don’t tell me you just limit your…marital relations to bed, darlin’?”

“Kind of,” Margie admits. “I mean, we use…different ways….but we don’t really have relations outside of our bed.”

“What about you, Nancy?” Dottie asks, training her keen gaze on Nancy’s face. “You’ve been awfully quiet in this conversation, honey. How about you and that handsome husband of yours?”

Nancy’s completely astonished and slightly mortified to be having this type of discussion in the lounge area of a restroom. She couldn’t imagine talking to Bess or George or Helen about this, let alone two virtual strangers.

Apparently her reticence is evident to the two other women. “It’s okay, Nancy. You don’t have to say anything if you’re not comfortable,” Margie reassures her sympathetically.

“Oh, come on,” Dottie scoffs. “Honey, we’re all married women here – newlyweds. We’re supposed to be screwin’ our husbands silly.”

Nancy’s more than a little shocked at Dottie’s frank talk, and her decidedly unladylike language. “I…”

“You’re on your _honeymoon_ ,” Dottie continues. “Don’t you tell me that you and that sexy Ned haven’t been doin’ it every morning, noon and night. Honey, I am happily married, but what I’ve seen of your husband’s physique when we were at the pool tells me that you’re a damn lucky woman.”

Nancy has a brief flash of her husband’s naked body, the water sluicing off of his rippled abdomen and muscular arms during their shower earlier that evening. An involuntary shudder ripples through her as she remembers his firm body pressed up against hers, their tongues tangling…

“I’m right, aren’t I?” Dottie crows triumphantly, breaking into Nancy’s reverie. “That he’s even better undressed?”

She can’t seem to stop herself from giving a nod of agreement, and Dottie howls with delight. “Atta girl! So, how is he?” The other woman’s eyes are dancing with amusement.

“How is he?” Nancy echoes weakly.

Dottie rolls her eyes with impatience. “In the sack, honey! I mean, I’m sure you got a lot of practice before your weddin’, but honeymoon relations are a whole bunch of fun. At least, mine were.” She winks.

“I…We…”Nancy stammers, frantically racking her brain for a way to get out of this conversation. She turns to Margie to see if she’s as uncomfortable, but the brunette’s looking at her with undisguised curiosity.

“Honey!” Dottie exclaims in astonishment. “Don’t you even sit here and tell me that you were a… _virgin_ ,” again she lowers her voice, “when you got married!”

“I…Yes. Yes – Ned and I waited until we married,” Nancy confessed quietly. Without thinking, she glances down at the delicate gold band encircling the fourth finger of her left hand, still surprised to see it there, even after wearing it for seven days.

“Oh my heavens!” Dottie gasps dramatically, pressing her hand to her generous bosom. I mean, even at Ole Miss, all of us girls from Kappa Delta knew about the star Emerson quarterback Ned Nickerson – and I can’t tell you how many sisters would’ve been first in line to get into the backseat of a car with him.

“And _you_ did nothin’ with him? Not even a little handy-handy?” Dottie makes a hand gesture that mimics what Nancy and Ned have been doing in bed this entire week, and Nancy flushes even deeper as she silently shakes her head.

“Darlin’, are you seriously tellin’ me that you didn’t give it up to that gorgeous, delicious man of yours until he had a ring on your finger? Girl, you are somethin’ else.” There’s a combination of incredulity and admiration in Dottie’s expression that normally would have made Nancy laugh under different circumstances.

“It’s true,” Nancy confirms with a nod of her head.

Two groups of young women enter the ladies’ room. Nancy thinks that will finally be the impetus to put a stop to this discussion, but the women are busy giggling and chattering away to each other, totally oblivious to what she’s been talking about with Dottie and Margie.

“Margie, if you tell me that you were also pure as the newly fallen snow when you and Will got hitched, I will fall off of this couch, I swear I will.” Dottie declares.

Margie takes a deep breath. “I…I wasn’t. Will had been my steady for a long time, and I knew we’d be together forever. After we had gotten engaged, well….well, it didn’t make sense to wait any longer. At first, I had felt like I was committing a terrible sin – which I guess I was, in some people’s eyes,” she hastily amends, “but I didn’t understand how it could be a sin when it seemed so natural and right to be with the man I loved.”

“See, even our quiet little Margie was givin’ her Will some before they got down the aisle!” Dottie exclaimed.

“Did it hurt, your first time?” Margie asks Nancy quietly. “Because mine did, even with Will being gentle with me.”   
  


“Yes. And I’m still a little…tender,” Nancy admits.

“Oh, honey, that goes away,” Dottie reassures her, not unkindly, and Margie nods.“But here’s the important question – do you enjoy it? Does he take his time and make sure you’re gettin’ what you need? Or is he one of those ‘ _wham, bam, thank you, ma’am’_ men? I mean, my Tex puts forth his best effort, bless his heart, but sometimes that doesn’t always get the job done…” She makes a face.

Nancy hesitates before replying. “He tries very hard to make sure I’m…”

“Satisfied?” Dottie finishes her sentence with a wicked gleam in her eye.

“Yes,” Nancy answers, still extremely uncomfortable. “But I’m still so sore that-“

Dottie cuts her off again. “Honey, you just need to relax, that’s all! You’re probably gettin’ all tense in anticipation, and that’s makin’ you hurt!”

“It’s true,” Margie agrees shyly. “The more you relax, the better it is.”

“I know, but…” Nancy lets her sentence drift off.

“You know what you should do?” Dottie says suddenly, bolting upright. “You should get tipsy tonight. _That’ll_ make you relax for sure, darlin’.”

Nancy waves her hand dismissively, but Dottie won’t give up. “I mean it!” she insists. “Just have a lot of those yummy pink champagne cocktails and by the end of the night, you’ll be relaxed and mellow and _definitely_ in the mood for relations when you get back to your room. Your husband will love it.”

“It could help,” Margie muses. “But you have to be careful – it’s a fine line between slightly tipsy and sloppily drunk.”

“There are also other things you can do when he’s in the mood and you still need time to prepare yourself for performin’ your wifely duties,” Dottie tells Nancy. “Like usin’ your hand-“

“Oh, we already do that,” Nancy informs her without thinking, then claps her hand over her mouth when she sees the slow smile cross Dottie’s lips.

“Well, see, you’re right on your way to becomin’ an experienced woman!” The other woman beams at her. “Then there’s your mouth, of course.”

Nancy’s puzzled until she remembers her conversation with Ned the other evening. _Fellatio_ , she dimly remembers. “I…I don’t think I’m ready for that yet,” she admits shyly.

“Don’t worry, Nancy – I’m not, either, “Margie tells her, patting her hand reassuringly.

“Well, okay, but you are missin’ on a great opportunity to gain the upper hand in your relationships, ladies. Yes, it’s disgusting and messy - positively foul at times - but it’s worth the trade-off. Gives you all kinds of power when you’re on your knees in front of your husband – you can get him to promise you _anything_. Like gettin’ a new dishwasher, or an in-ground pool, or orderin’ a custom-made gown from Paris…” Dottie’s eyes take on a faraway expression.

“I’m not interested in gaining power over my husband,” Nancy replies firmly. “Ned is a wonderful man, and he’s very willing to let me do as I wish.”

“Oh, you say that now, but things change once you’re married for a while, honey,” Dottie tells her, slightly amused.

Nancy stubbornly shakes her head. “I know that Ned is very fair and kind – if there’s something I want or need, I’m sure he won’t deny me.”

“Well, then, you _are_ a lucky girl. But if you ever need to ‘convince’ him about anything,” Dottie curls her fingers into air quote, “performing that particular act is a damn effective way to go about it. Believe me – just as long as you don’t use your teeth. Besides, how do you think I got Tex to propose, anyway?” She winks saucily.

Nancy and Margie openly gape at the other woman. “Oh, close your mouths, girls. He’s a Texas oilman from a distinguished family that’s positively rolling in dough; I’m a pretty girl from an upper-middle class family from Jackson – there are thousands of others like me out there. I had to find some way to hook him.”

“And you did by doing… _that_?” Margie asks in an awed whisper.

“That’s right, honey. And you want to know how I really locked it down?” She leans in conspiratorially. “By gettin’ myself with child.” Dottie pats her still fairly flat stomach.

“You’re expecting? Why, that’s wonderful news!” Nancy beams at Dottie.

Suddenly, a thought occurs to her. “Did you…were you taking any precautions?” she asks, trying not to panic. After all, she and Ned have been making love without using any contraceptive devices, and a baby is the absolute last thing she wants right now. Someday, definitely, but right now, she wants to have time to adjust to being a wife. And, Nancy privately admits to herself, she wants to be selfish and have Ned all to herself for a while.

“Oh, heavens, no!” Dottie informs her. “Darlin’, it was all a part of my plan.”

“Your plan?” Margie echoes.

“That’s right. I finally, _finally_ got Tex to ask me to marry him, after months and months of dropping not-so-subtle hints. It was positively _exhausting_ , let me tell you.” She pauses dramatically.

“Once I got the ring, I knew that I had to do somethin’ that would require him to go through with the weddin’. So, I told him that I was takin’ care of things when we were bein’ intimate - when I wasn’t, of course. Not surprisingly, I turned up preggers a few weeks after he proposed. I thought that Tex was just about gonna faint when I gave him the news.”

“I’m sure,” Nancy manages weakly, half-horrified, half-fascinated by Dottie’s story. “What did your parents say?”

She tries to imagine what it would have been like if she had gone to her own father and told him that she was in the family way before she and Ned had been married. The thought is entirely too terrible and embarrassing to even consider. She has a brief visualization of her father holding a shotgun and a terrified-looking Ned trembling with fear at the end of a wedding aisle.

“Oh, Daddy was furious with Tex, of course. Defilin’ his baby girl and all that. Momma publically agreed with him, but privately she was pleased as punch – after all, it was a guaranteed way to get Tex down the aisle. There was no way in hell that he would’ve been able to get out of marryin’ the mother of his child – his family would have been positively horrified at the scandal that an out-of-wedlock child would’ve caused.

“Momma congratulated me and called the baby my little insurance policy. And, given the state of things, we had to move up the weddin’.” Dottie gives them a triumphant grin, clearly pleased with herself.

If it were anyone other than Dottie telling this story, Nancy would have been disgusted. However, the girl’s natural charm and genuine warmth almost make Nancy root for her, despite herself.

“Well, girls, we have been in here long enough. If I know Tex, he’ll about knock down the door and barge in here if we don’t make an appearance on that dance floor within two minutes.” Dottie stands up, wincing slightly as she thrusts her feet back into her shoes.

After the three of them check their makeup and reapply their lipstick in the mirror of the restroom, they rejoin their men back at the table.

\--

The talented orchestra is playing one popular song after another, and their group can’t resist getting up and joining the well-dressed young women and men on the floor. Ned’s always loved to dance, whether at a party or a formal event, and tonight is no exception.

As he twirls her around, Nancy can’t help but notice other women staring at her dashing husband. To his credit, though, he only seems to have eyes for her.

The music is lively and she’s laughing at something Ned’s said when Tex suddenly approaches them and taps him on the shoulder.

“Hey there! Sorry to interrupt what looks like a private conversation. Mind if I have this dance with your lovely wife, Ned?”

He smiles at Tex and gazes quizzically at Nancy. “Is it okay with you, sweetheart?”

Nancy’s slightly disappointed but doesn’t want to turn down Tex for fear of being thought of as rude. “Of course.”

She moves easily into Tex’s arms – standing further away from him than she had been to her husband, of course – and forces herself to give the other man a bright smile as they begin to dance to the new song that the orchestra’s just started playing.

Tex is making small talk and Nancy nods along at the appropriate points, but she can’t resist swiveling her head repeatedly to watch her husband dance with Dottie. The petite redhead’s laughing and chattering away, her eyes alight with interest as she gazes up at Ned’s handsome face.

Nancy can’t help but notice how close the girl seems to be standing to Ned as she remembers Dottie’s comments about how handsome she finds Nancy’s husband.

“Am I borin’ ya, honey?” Tex drawls, cutting into Nancy’s thoughts. She blinks to find the tall Texan staring at her with a slightly amused grin on his face.

Nancy blinks, embarrassed to be caught. “No – no, of course not. I was just thinking about what a good dancer you are,” she hastily improvises.

He nods his head in an overly modest fashion. “Why, thank you, Mrs. Nickerson. I could say the same of you.”

“Thank you.” Nancy gives him another forced smile, and it’s taking all of her self-control not to stare at Ned and Dottie. She trusts her husband, but Dottie is another matter entirely. The redhead is experienced in ways that Nancy’s isn’t - and she’s made no secret of the fact that she finds Ned handsome and desirable.

When the song ends, she expects Tex to release her; instead, he tightens his grip on her waist.

“You know, you’re a very beautiful woman,” he tells her, his voice husky.

Nancy’s slightly puzzled by his flirtatious tone. “Thank you,” she repeats cautiously.

“Want to know a secret?” When she nods, he gives her a wolfish grin, stepping closer to her. Nancy unconsciously moves backwards to create more space between them.

“I find tall, blonde, Midwestern girls irresistible. Must be somethin’ about all of those cornfields and that clean, fresh air.”

“What about Southern girls?” Nancy asks, and she can’t keep the tartness out of her tone.

“What about them, darlin’?” Tex drawls impishly. “Why should a man have to choose?”

“Because he’s married?” she replies archly.

“Oh, now, come on, darlin’,” he wheedles. “Dottie and me, we have a…an understandin’, let’s call it.”

“Oh, really?”

“That’s right. She gets to spend my money, and I get to keep my…hobbies.”

Nancy’s sickened by his words, but makes herself keep a smile pasted on her face for the sake of appearances. “And she knows about…your hobbies?” Based on the conversation she just had with Dottie in the ladies’ room, Nancy highly doubts it, but her curiosity can’t stop her from asking Tex.

“Of course. She knew what the arrangement would be before she married me – and she’s fine with it. I got a sweet little Southern belle with a knockout figure and a little bit of sass, not to mention a woman who’ll be incredibly good at runnin’ my household.”

“And what does she get?” Nancy can’t resist asking.

“Why, darlin’, don’t you worry about Dottie - she makes out more than okay in this deal. After all, she gets to call herself Mrs. Thaddeus Stonebriar the Fourth! She’s the one who gets to wave around charge plates with my name on ‘em in the best stores in town and make her splash on the Dallas social scene.”

Nancy hates the vision of Dottie in Ned’s arms, but she can’t help but feel sorry for the redhead as Tex recounts his version of their marriage. “How charming.”

“Oh, now, honey, don’t be like that,” Tex cajoles her, giving her what he likely assumes is his most winning smile. “Dottie’ll be fine. Don’t let her stop you.”

“She’s not.”

“Good,” he replies, misunderstanding Nancy. “And if you’re really that attached to Dottie, you won’t even have to tell her. So, if you can just find a way to sneak off from that husband of yours some afternoon-“

“Tex, I have no intention of entering into any type of an…assignation with you,” Nancy tells him firmly, her eyes flashing. “I am in love with my husband and would never even dream of being unfaithful to him. Why, I’m on my honeymoon, for heaven’s sake!”

She briefly imagines jerking out of Tex’s arms and marching over to tell Ned exactly what he’s just said, but is slightly nervous about what her husband’s reaction would be. The last thing she wants to do is make a scene in this fancy supper club and embarrass Dottie, and she fears that Ned wouldn’t be able to restrain himself from taking a swing at Tex.

“Darlin’, do you really think that Dottie’s chattin’ up your Ned about the weather and the snapdragons in her garden? She’s probably makin’ the same type of offer to him that I just made you.”

She wants to slap the look of disbelief off of Tex’s face – it’s as if he can’t quite believe that someone would dare to reject his advances.

“And I’m sure that he’ll turn her down, just like I turned you down,” she informs Tex, her voice unwavering.

Among the many of Ned Nickerson’s numerous good qualities is faithfulness – and if he didn’t cheat on her while they were apart during his years at Emerson, he most definitely wouldn’t now, while still on their honeymoon. Of this Nancy is positive, and her convictions are confirmed when Ned gives her a smile and wink from across the dance floor.

“You seem mighty certain of that, Nancy, but I’ll be the first to tell you that Dottie’s damn persuasive when she wants to be.”

“I’m not worried,” she informs Tex coolly.

He shakes his head. “It’s a shame – you’re quite a looker, with that sunshine-golden hair and those wide blue eyes, that sweet little figure…No wonder Nickerson snapped you right up. If you change your mind, the offer’s still on the table, darlin’.”

Nancy glares at him. “I won’t change my mind.”

The song ends, much to Nancy’s relief. She’s about to go and claim her husband for the next dance when Will taps Tex on the shoulder. “May I?”

Nancy sighs internally but nods politely. As she begins to dance with Will, her keen blue eyes don’t miss the fact that Tex is now the one dancing with Margie – which means that Ned’s still with Dottie. Idly, Nancy wonders whether Tex is propositioning Margie in much the same way he did her.

The dance seems interminably long, but she forces herself to pay attention to Will, not eager to be caught staring at her husband twice in a row. Luckily, Will is sweet and polite, the very picture of formality as he keeps her at arms’ length during their dance. All he can talk about is his beloved Margie, which is just fine with Nancy, as she’s still rattled by her conversation with Tex.

Finally, _finally,_ the orchestra takes a break; just as she’s about to make a beeline towards the spot where she had last seen Ned, someone takes her by the elbow. Nancy’s about to protest when she catches sight of her husband’s handsome face, and a wave of relief crashes over her.

“Hello there, gorgeous,” Ned greets her.

“Hello, Ned. Oh, I missed you,” she sighs, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him.

He chuckles. “We weren’t separated that long, Nancy.”

“I know, but I missed you.”

Ned’s tone changes to one of concern when she doesn’t pull away. “Are you okay?”

“I am now,” she tells him truthfully, her arms still wound tightly around him.

“Why don’t we sit down and enjoy our dessert, hmmm, sweetheart? Then we can dance some more – but this time, I won’t let anyone steal you away from me, okay?”

“Okay.” She reluctantly eases her grip on him and takes his hand as they walk back to their table.

\--

Two hours and four pink champagne cocktails later, Nancy’s blissfully gliding across the crowded dance floor in Ned’s arms once more.

“Nancy?” Ned asks, looking down at her.

“Hmmm?” she replies dreamily, pulling back to look her husband square in the face. _He’s so handsome_ , she sighs internally. _Just dreamy and divine…_

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” There’s a touch of concern in his voice.

“I’m fine, Ned,” she tells him. She attempts to pat him on the shoulder and giggles when she misses slightly.

“Are you sure?” he asks doubtfully. “After all, you did have quite a few of those champagne cocktails…”

Nancy presses her lips to his cheek, then wipes away the trace that her lipstick has left. “It’s very sweet of you to be concerned about me, but I’m fine, Ned.” This time, she kisses him on the lips, and he makes a noise of astonishment when her tongue grazes his.

He breaks the kiss, an expression of obvious reluctance on his face. “Sweetheart, not that I don’t enjoy kissing you, but it’s a little indelicate for us to be doing that in public, don’t you think?”

Nancy pushes her lower lip out in an exaggerated pout. “Then let’s go somewhere to be alone,” she tells him.

Ned gives her a grin that’s so adorable that she has to restrain herself from fusing her mouth to his again. “I think it’s time that we say goodbye to our friends and find our way back to the hotel, Mrs. Nickerson.”

“ _That_ is an excellent idea, Mr. Nickerson.”

\--

Nancy feels like she’s floating. A good part of the reason why is because of the cocktails she consumed, but it’s mostly it’s because of the kissing that she and Ned had done in the backseat of their taxicab on the way back to the hotel. When his hand had slid underneath the skirt of her gown, she hadn’t pushed him away; instead, she’d picked it up and inched it up even higher on her thigh.

Now they’re in front of the door to their suite, and Ned’s so distracted by her kisses that he can’t seem to fit the key into the lock. Finally, he’s successful and hurriedly swings open the door. The minute it’s closed behind them, he backs her up against it and begins running his hands all over her body. Nancy moans into his mouth.

“So sexy,” Ned mutters, burying his face in the crease where her neck meets her shoulder. “You’re so damn sexy.”

“So are you,” she whispers back, giggling.

Ned brushes his hand against her chiffon-covered breast, his thumb rubbing her nipple erect, and she sighs with pleasure.

“Should I take this off and put on some lingerie?” she asks.

“Absolutely not,” he replies emphatically. “The first time you wore this dress for me for that dance at Emerson, I fantasized about doing this.” His other hand steals up and cups her other breast.

Nancy can barely concentrate when he’s touching her like this. “Doing what?”

“Taking you back to my room at Omega Chi. Kissing you and getting my hands underneath the dress so I could touch your body. Eventually ripping it off of you.” His voice is husky with desire.

For a moment, she can’t think of a reason why that isn’t a good idea. “If you rip it, I can’t wear it again,” she lamely reminds him.

“Good point. But I can at least accomplish the other things on my wish list.” Ned bends down slightly to grip the hem of her skirt and begins easing it up until her stockings, garter belt, and satin panties are exposed to his view.

“Mmmm, if I had had any idea back then that you looked like this in your underwear, I would have gone crazy,” he tells her.

“Sweet,” She giggles. “You’re sweet, Ned.”

“It’s true, Nancy,” he insists. “You are a thousand times more luscious than I ever could have imagined, and that’s saying a lot. Sweetheart, will you let me do something?”

When she nods, he hands her the fabric he’s gathered in his fist before kneeling in front of her. He unsnaps first one of her garters, then the other, and Nancy feels a thrill of excitement travel up and down her spine as she becomes aware of what he’s about to do.

Ned slowly runs his hands up her bare thighs until he gets to the waistband of her panties, pausing as if he’s expecting her to bat him away. Instead, she puts her free hand over his and helps him to slide the underwear down over her hips. Ned pushes them down to her ankles and she quickly steps out of the panties, then hastily sheds her garter belt.

Nancy knows she should probably be embarrassed about standing here in front of him like this, naked to the waist, her legs slightly spread, but her anticipation over what’s to come has overridden her sense of decorum.

“So pretty.” Ned runs one fingertip over the golden curls at the join of her legs. His hands move to her outer thighs, which he gently pushes apart.

Ned sucks the flesh of her inner left thigh and then does the same to her right one, the anticipation making Nancy shudder.

“You know, when I thought that you were taking Diane to that dance, it really upset me,” she informs her husband as his breath warms her inner thigh. “The closer it got to the dance without hearing from you, the more devastated I was.”

Ned slips one finger between her legs, and Nancy lets out a low moan. “How could you have ever thought I didn’t want to take you, sweetheart?”

Another of his fingers enters her, and it’s getting more and more difficult for her to concentrate. “Because all of the other girls had heard from their dates already, and I saw that awful Diane with a letter from you in her hand…”

“Well, that was all a stupid misunderstanding,” Ned reminds her, stroking the tender bud where all of her nerve endings currently seem to be centered. “But I loved how jealous you were.”

“Mmm,” she moans in agreement. “Think about how you would’ve felt if I’d have walked into that dance on Horace Lally’s arm.”

“Don’t you mention that jackass’s name while my hands are on you,” Ned growls, looking up at Nancy with a fierce gaze.

Nancy blinks with surprise at the fierceness in her husband’s voice, and at the epithet he’s used. If he’s this upset about the mention of Horace, she can’t imagine how he’ll react when he finds out about what Tex tried to pull tonight.

“Trust me, Ned,” she reassures him with a little giggle, “I’m not thinking about him at all right now. All I can think about is how good it feels to have my husband touch me.”

“Good,” he tells her,

He uses his fingers to part her inner lips and when he plunges his tongue into her, Nancy lets out a high, thin cry of pleasure. “Ned!”

“That’s right. Tell me, sweetheart.” His tongue continues to probe her and it’s taking all of Nancy’s strength to keep standing- her knees are completely weak.

Nancy calls out his name again, thoroughly enjoying the feel of his mouth on her sensitive flesh. “So good,” she pants, giggling tipsily. “This feels _soooo_ good, Ned!”

“Oh!” she suddenly gasps after a particularly talented flick of his tongue, fisting both hands in his dark hair. The movement has caused her to let go of the hem of her dress, and it falls over Ned’s head, effectively hiding him from her view

Ned’s laugh is muffled by the chiffon of her dress and she joins in, despite her incredible arousal.

“Sorry,” she tells him with a sheepish giggle.

“It’s okay – I’m glad I could distract you like that. Why don’t we take it off of you?”

He rises to his feet and quickly helps her to unzip the gown, which falls in a pale yellow pool at her feet. Nancy steps out of it, now clad only in her brassiere and stockings, which have fallen down, but she doesn’t remove them.

“Should we continue here, or go to bed?” he asks huskily.

“Bed.” Nancy’s already having a hard time staying on her feet; the longer he’ll do this to her, the more impossible it’ll be to remain upright, she thinks.

Ned grabs at her hand and tugs her over to the bed, hastily pushing back the covers. When she goes to get under them, he stops her, directing her to sit on the edge of the mattress. She does, and he kneels between her slightly spread legs.

“Lie back,” he tells her, a gleam in his eye.

She obeys, falling backwards. Ned kisses her knees and pushes her thighs wider apart before burying his face between her legs once more.

“Mmmmmmm,” she moans. “Oh, Ned, this feels….divine.”   
  


Ned sucks the little bundle of nerves into his mouth, then takes two of his fingers and slides them inside of her.

“Ohhhhhhhhhh.” By now, she’s completely incapable of forming actual words.

Ned pulls away to give her a smoldering look. “This time, I’m not stopping until you climax,” he informs her before once more licking at the bud between her legs. “I want to see it, sexy Nancy. I want to watch you come apart because of how good it makes you feel when I go down on you,” he says between licks.

The things he’s saying are so unspeakably naughty, but she loves it. Her hips are undulating, and she feels a growing pressure build inside of her.

“OHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.”

“That’s right, sweetheart,” he urges her on in a deep, husky voice before sliding another finger deep within her. “Let me hear you. Just give in to it, honey. You are a sexy, gorgeous woman and I want to watch and hear you come.”

“Ned,” she pants. “Oh, Ned.”

Her husband takes his other hand and shoves up her brassiere, effectively baring her breasts. He uses it to pinch her already firm nipples, rolling them between his thumb and forefinger, all the while running his tongue over her.

Nancy can’t bear the unbelievable sensations coursing through her body. She’s never felt anything quite so delicious before – except the last time Ned did this to her. This is even better though, which she hadn’t thought possible.

“Uhhhhh,” she moans. “Oh, my.” Her hands are in his hair again, and he chuckles against her as she forces his head to stay in place.

“You like this, sweet girl? You like having your husband kiss you and lick you and eat you out?”

“Yes,” she whimpers. That pressure is building even more now, and she’d do anything to relieve it. “Yes, yes.”

“I love you,” he tells her. “I love being able to make love to you like this.”

Nancy’s head whips from side to side as she enjoys what her husband is doing to her. She feels delirious, drunk – and not just from the champagne coursing through her veins.

Just when she thinks she can’t take anymore, Ned pushes her legs apart even wider and moves his head up slightly so that his chin rubs against her most sensitive part.

“Oh!” she shrieks, startled. The roughness of his stubble feels like the most incredible thing she’s ever experienced. “Do that again,” she commands him.

  
Ned obeys her order, rubbing over her again and again and again, all the while moving his fingers inside of her and using the palm of his other hand to roughly caress her nipple.

“Mmm, Ned! Oh Ned, oh _Neddddd_.” Her hips are bucking frantically, her back is arched, and she feels like she’s burning alive. She’s close, so close, to…something, she doesn’t know what. All she knows is that she both wants it to go on forever and break immediately. “I love you, I love you!”

All of a sudden, it’s like something’s exploded inside of her. All of the tension she was experiencing has dissolved into a beautiful, glorious wave of sensation and pleasure. Without even realizing it, Nancy lets out a loud scream of delight. She’s panting and mewling and whimpering as the spasms continue inside of her.

Once the waves have subsided, Nancy collapses to the bed, spent. From the vicinity of her feet, she can hear the sound of clothing rustling and a zipper being pulled down.

“Ned?” she manages to get out.

“I just need to…” Her husband answers between gritted teeth. “I need to take care of it.”

Nancy slowly moves herself to a sitting position and watches her husband stroke himself, his face contorted in a grimace.

“I can do that,” she offers.

Ned hastily scrambles to his feet and grabs her hand to slip it into his opened fly. She strokes him the way that he’s taught her over the last several nights and he quickly spends himself onto her cupped hand with a hoarse cry.

He takes a few tissues from the box on the nightstand and uses them to clean the both of them up. Once he’s finished, Nancy undoes his bow tie, grips both ends, and pulls his body on top of hers.

”That,” she tells him, dropping a kiss onto his lips and tasting her arousal on them, “was wonderful, incredible, delicious…” Nancy punctuates each of her words with more kisses.

Ned laughs. “I’m glad you liked it, sweetheart. _That’s_ what I’ve been trying to make happen since the start of our honeymoon.”

“Well, it was definitely worth the wait.” Nancy kisses him again, savoring the feel of his tongue sliding over hers. She wraps her leg around him and deliberately rubs up against him, enjoying how his suit fabric feels against her naked body.

“Mmmm,” Ned sighs with pleasure. “Nancy, sweetheart, if you keep that up, I’m going to want you all over again.” He reaches behind her and unsnaps her brassiere, pushing it off of her.

“Fine by me,” she informs him. “If you can make me feel like that again, I’ll do whatever you wish, Ned.”

He chuckles. “I’ll certainly try my damndest, sweetheart.” He pushes himself up on his elbows so that he’s hovering over her, and Nancy reaches up to push off his jacket and unbutton his shirt.

When Ned’s as naked as she is, he settles back on top of her again and they kiss lazily, over and over and over again. Nancy runs her hands through his dark hair and sighs with delight as his fingertips caress her nipples.

Before long, she can feel his maleness hardening against her stomach and deliberately arches her back to rub up against him.

“Ned?”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

The alcohol she’d imbibed earlier has made her brave enough to ask her next question. “Did you want me to…return the favor?”

“Return the favor?”

“I mean, use my mouth on you. Like you did to me. Fellatio.”

Ned pulls back in surprise. “Are you comfortable with doing that?”

“I don’t know,” she replies honestly. “But I can try, if you’d like. I seem to remember you telling me a few days ago that if I didn’t like something I could stop?”

He laughs. “I did say that, yes. But if you really aren’t ready, Nancy…”

“Do you want me to?”

“Not if you aren’t ready.”

“Do you want me to?” she repeats, slightly amused by his reticence.

“Yes,” he replies, his head bobbing up and down enthusiastically. “God, yes. The thought of that is enough to…” He takes her hand and brings it to his erect male member.

Nancy giggles. “Okay, then.” Ned gets the hint when she not-so-gently pushes at his shoulders and rolls him onto his back so that his legs are dangling off the side of the mattress.

Nancy kneels in front of him, just like he did to her, the carpet slightly scratchy against her bare knees. She giggles again as she stares at his sex, her natural curiosity winning out against any shyness she’s feeling.

“What?”

“Nothing,” she reassures him, trying to put on a serious face. “It’s just…I’ve never been this close to one before. I mean, I’ve been touching you and you’ve been…inside of me, but I’ve never actually come face-to-face with…it… before. Well, it doesn’t have a face, but you know what I mean.” She’s aware that she’s babbling, thanks to her nervousness.

“Sweetheart.” Ned props himself up onto his elbows and regards her expression, which she’s sure is bemused as she continues to stare at his male member. “I know it’s not very …attractive…”

“Neither are my parts, I’m sure,” Nancy replies without thinking.

He shakes his head, a slight smile on his face. “Your parts are gorgeous, sweetheart. Why, I could look at them all day long.”

She flushes at that but the idea doesn’t displease her. “So what do I do? After all, you at least had a book to read.”

Ned’s smile gets broader. “Well, luckily, my book covered this, too. And I can kind of guess what I’d like you to do.”

“What’s that?”

“Um…take it into your mouth and…suck. Just don’t use your teeth, okay?”

_Just like Dottie said_ , she remembers. This conversation is getting more and more bizarre the longer it continues, and Nancy’s thankful that she had the champagne earlier in the evening to help her deal with it. “Like a lollipop?”

He nods. “That’s right.”

Nancy tentatively reaches for his erect member, an unsure expression on her face. She really loves him and wants to give him as much pleasure as he’s given her, but this is just still so odd.

After she begins to stroke him, she suddenly bends her head over his groin and hesitantly draws the tip of his sex into her mouth, gently sucking it.

“God, that is _so_ good, sweetheart,” he mutters. “Keep going, please?”

She looks up, still keeping him in her mouth. His eyes are half-lidded in an expression of desire and… _lust_ , she thinks to herself, slightly shocked. She sucks harder and takes a little more of him in.

When he makes another sound of approval, Nancy slowly runs her tongue up and down the underside of his member. He utters a four-letter word that she’s never heard him say before in all of the years they’ve known each other, and she keeps licking. When she gets to the tip, she feels a drop of wetness gathering there.

Ned’s hand fists in her hair. “Sweetheart,” he growls, “Nancy, your mouth around me feels so damn good, and you look so sexy, kneeling in front of me in only your stockings. Like a fantasy come to life.”

His words urge her on, and she takes even more of him. “That’s it, baby,” Ned croons. “You are doing so great, gorgeous.”

As she kneels in front of her husband, Nancy recalls how Dottie had described this act earlier in the evening – messy and disgusting. While it’s not exactly pleasant, she doesn’t exactly agree with Dottie’s assessment. He smells musky, masculine, and the taste of him is salty.

When she tries to take him deeper, she suddenly feels her gag reflex kick in. Panicking, she quickly pulls back, frantically shaking her head. “It’s okay,” he tells her soothingly, patting her head. “Just continue doing what you did before – unless you want to stop?”

She looks up at him and once she’s convinced that he’s not angry with her, begins to suck at him once more.

“Nancy, I’m about to…” The words are barely out of his mouth when she feels something a spurt of something hot and sticky coat her tongue and the back of her throat. She gasps in surprise and pulls back, praying that the revulsion doesn’t show on her face.

_I take it back - Dottie wasn’t that off the mark_ , she thinks ruefully.

“Nancy, sweetheart, I am so sorry,” Ned pants. “It just felt so good, and I thought I’d be able to pull out in time.”

She shifts to a sitting position, trying her hardest not to be sick. _He’s had his mouth on you several times this week,_ she reminds herself, _and he never once made faces or complained._

__

“Are you all right?” Ned asks anxiously, sitting up and peering down at her.

Patting his shin, Nancy gives him a tentative smile. “I…I think so.”

“Sweetheart, that was incredible. I just feel bad that I couldn’t stop in time.”

She slowly gets to her feet and sits on his knee. “It’s all right, Ned. It was…” Nancy was about to tell him that she hadn’t minded, but she doesn’t think it’s a very good idea to lie to her new husband. “It wasn’t that bad.”

Ned leans over and grabs a tissue from the box on the nightstand and uses it to wipe himself off. “Well, I’m sorry, anyway.”

Nancy leans in to plant a kiss on his lips. “I’m just glad that I could make you happy.”

“Whenever we’re naked together, I’m happy, Nancy – trust me.”

She giggles delightedly. “So maybe we should take our bath now.”

“Good idea, sweetheart. Then we can come back and… fool around again?” Ned raises his eyebrows in a mock leer.

“I like the way you think, Mr. Nickerson.”

“I like the way you look naked, Mrs. Nickerson.”

\--

An hour later, Nancy finds herself on her back in their bed, her legs wrapped around her husband’s waist as he thrusts into her. The springs of the mattress are creaking beneath them and the headboard is banging against the wall – she knows she should worry about someone coming to pound on their door, but it feels entirely too good to stop, especially when he slips his hand between their bodies to stroke the bud between her legs. Thankfully, the act of intercourse doesn’t really hurt her anymore.

“Ned,” she gasps, digging her nails into his sweaty back.

“God, this is good,” he growls, dipping his head to cover her mouth with his.

She moans into his mouth as his tongue grazes hers. He smells like the bubble lotion that she’d dumped into the tub, mixed with his own naturally musky scent, and the combination is enough to drive her crazy.

“Mmmm,” he growls, going even deeper inside of her. Nancy can feel the pressure building inside of her and she prays that he can hold out long enough so that she can find her release.

“Please tell me you’re almost there,” Ned begs before grabbing her ankles and pushing them wide apart.

“Mmmmm,” Nancy agrees with a low moan. The way he’s opened her up to him has meant that he feels impossibly deep within her. She tilts her head back but has underestimated her proximity to the headboard, because she cracks her head against it.

She lets out a shriek of pain and surprise, bringing up one of her hands to rub her scalp.

Ned stops his thrusting. “Nance, are you all right?” he asks worriedly.

Despite the pain, Nancy can’t help but let out a giggle at the absurdity of the situation. “I’m fine, Ned,” she manages to get out. “I swear.”

“I am so sorry,” he tells her, reaching to stroke her hair.

Nancy brings up her head to give him a quick kiss, but she still can’t stop laughing. “It’s okay.”

Once he sees that she’s really all right, Ned joins in her laughter. “We’ve only been having sex for a week and already I’ve managed to injure you! Were you that distracted, sweetheart?”

“Well, I was having such a good time that I forgot where the headboard was! That’s how you know you were doing a good job!”

He laughs louder. “Let’s just move you further down on the mattress so that doesn’t happen again. Because I’m not done with you just yet.”

She eagerly scoots down the mattress and opens her legs wide. “Better?”

“Perfect.” He resumes his thrusting and Nancy bites her lip as his fingertips graze her slick inner folds.

“If you want to make noise, sweetheart, don’t hold back,” he tells her, his voice hitching as he slides in and out of her.

“Mmm,” Nancy whimpers, the tips of her breasts brushing against his chest. She’s close, so close, and she fists one hand in his dark hair while raking the other one over the nape of his neck. She tilts her head up to kiss his earlobe, and lets out a breathy moan as his fingers rub the nub between her legs.

“God,” he growls, “You sound so sexy and you feel so damn good. Your body is magnificent, sweetheart.”

She sighs his name as his thrusts go even deeper. This time, she knows what’s about to happen and she can barely wait. Tentatively, she reaches her hand down to keep his fingers in the magic spot he’s found; instead, she accidentally grazes the sack at the base of his male member.

Ned lets out a hiss. “Sweetheart,” he says, almost desperately. “ _Nancy_.”

“Sorry!” she gasps, attempting to pull her hand back but again manages to stroke the sensitive skin.

“Sweetheart, I’m sorry, but I _can’t wait_ ,” he moans just before she feels him spend himself within her. He gives another few thrusts before collapsing on top of her.

Nancy tries to hold back her groan of frustration. She’d been just on the brink of her own climax; now, she still feels that unreleased tension at her core.

Finally, Ned raises his head and looks down at her, a sheepish expression on his face. “Sweetheart, I am so sorry about that. It’s just that when you started touching my balls...”

She blinks in surprise upon hearing his use of that word but doesn’t say anything. “It felt so good that I couldn’t stop myself. I feel so badly, though – I know you probably didn’t come,” he tells her apologetically.

“It’s okay, Ned. I shouldn’t have touched your…there,” she finishes vaguely. “I didn’t mean to.”

Ned kisses her gently. “I’m trying so hard to hold back when we’re making love so that you can enjoy yourself, too, but I can’t seem to stop myself! It’s just that you’re so gorgeous and sexy and you feel so damn good!”

“Didn’t you say that we’d have to keep practicing?” she teases him gently.

He gives her a grin before rolling off of her and reaching for some tissues. “I did say that.”

When he tries to clean her up, she winces at the feel of his hands on her still-sensitive flesh – she’s so aroused that even the slightest stimulation is almost painful.

“Sweetheart, what if I use my fingers to get you there?” Ned suggests.

Nancy nods eagerly, anxious to have him release the tension, and it only takes a few strokes of his fingertips against her slick inner bud before she climaxes, clenching weakly around his fingers.

“Thank you,” she murmurs, relieved, once the spasms have stopped.

“I feel like I should still be apologizing to you - if I hadn’t been in such a damn rush to get to my own climax, then I wouldn’t have had to do that at all,” he tells her ruefully.

Nancy lazily raises her head and presses her fingers to his lips. “Shhh. I told you that it’s all right. No matter what, I still enjoy it when we’re together like this. We’ll figure it out.”

“My sweet Nancy,” he sighs contentedly.

He strokes her hair as she rests her head upon his shoulder, the sound of his heartbeat beneath her ear lulling her to sleep.

“I love you so much, sweetheart – and I feel so lucky that you said yes when I asked you to be my wife. I’m such a lucky man.”

It’s been an incredibly long day – and night – and the aftereffects of the champagne cocktails are suddenly all combining to make her exhausted. However, she somehow manages to raise her head and give him a sleepy smile.

“I’m the lucky one,” she replies lightly.   
  


“All that talk about that pirate Horace Lally earlier…” Ned shakes his head as he lets his sentence trail off, the expression in his dark eyes turning from tender to fierce.

“It just made me think about what might have happened if you _hadn’t_ found out about Diane intercepting my invitation. You would have gone to the dance with _Lally_ ,” he all but chokes on the name, “and perhaps you would have been so angry with me that you never would have let me escort you anywhere again-“

“Hush,” Nancy tells her husband, not unkindly. “Hush, darling – that’s all in the past now. We _did_ find out about Diane’s devious plan, we went to the dance together, and everything turned out the way it was supposed to. Besides,” she taps her husband on the nose, “I had no intention of letting Horace escort me, anyway.”

Ned gives her an adorable grin. “Really?”

“I couldn’t bear the thought of having to spend an entire evening with him when you were the one I really wanted to be with,” she admits.

“Sorry to have brought all of this up again. It’s just that sight of you dancing with Tex and Will was terrible, sweetheart…Having to watch you in another man’s arms was torture.”

His words trigger the memory of Tex hitting on her. “And it was just as terrible for me, watching you with Dottie.” _And how she wouldn’t let you go_ , Nancy thinks to herself sourly as she rests her head on his shoulder again.

Ned resumes stroking her hair before moving his hand down to her bare back, and she feels tingly when his fingertips brush up and down against her spine.

She’s relaxed and content, so much so that her guard is down. “Tex tried to hit on me, you know.” The words tumble out before she can stop them.

Ned stops dead in his tracks and pushes her away slightly so that he can stare at her face. “He what?”

The ice in his tone snaps her out of her reverie. “Ned…”

“What happened? What did he say? What did you say?” His words burst forth at a rapid fire pace, like a machine gun.

“Ned, calm down.” Nancy props herself up on one elbow and regards her husband, whose expression is what could best be described as dark and stormy.

“I can’t calm down. Tell me exactly what he said.”

She sighs and pats him on the arm. “Well…he told me that he thought I was beautiful and that he has a thing for Midwestern girls. Then he said that he and Dottie have an…understanding.”

She can tell that’s Ned’s trying to control himself, and is terrified that her next words are going to cause him to snap. “Then he…Ned, I don’t want to continue this because you’re just going to get upset. More upset,” she corrected herself. “It’s not worth spoiling our evening over, honey.”

“Nancy, the best way for us to have a strong marriage is to not have secrets between us. We need to tell each other the truth.” The calmness of his words belies the fury simmering in his eyes.

“If I tell you, do you promise not to get mad and storm out of here?” He exhales loudly. “For me?”

“Fine.”

“Tex asked me to sneak away from you sometime this week so I could be with him.”

At that, Ned throws back the covers and jumps out of bed, paying no heed to his nudity. “I’ll kill him. I’ll go pound on every damn door in this damn hotel and find him and kill him.”

Nancy leaps out of bed and grabs onto Ned’s arm, as if she could physically restrain him. “Ned, you promised! Please!” she pleads with him.

Something in her tone must have gotten through his haze of anger. “Nance, it’s just that… The thought of you being with another man….” His fists clench in anger.

“Honey, I know,” she soothes. “And I told him that his suggestion sickened me and that I was in love with you!”

Ned pulls her close, smoothing her hair. “Nance…”

“Honey, I know,” Nancy repeats. “You have nothing to worry about – now or forever, Ned Nickerson. I swore to be faithful to you, and I meant it.”

He crooks a finger under her chin and tilts it up so he can press a kiss to her lips. “I’m sorry I flew off the handle.”

“It’s okay. Just come back to bed, please? For me?”

He stares at her for a moment, as if considering her request, before giving a slight nod.

When they’re curled up in bed again, Nancy’s able to drum up the courage to ask him the question that’s been on the tip of her tongue all night. “Did Dottie come on to you?”

He hesitates just a split second too long for Nancy’s comfort. “Nance…”

“No, Ned. You just gave me a whole speech about how it’s good for our marriage if we’re truthful with each other. So, did she?”

She hears him exhale loudly in the dark. “Yes.”

The simmering jealousy she’s felt ever since she saw her husband dancing with the pretty redhead is now at full boil – actually, it’s been there since Dottie talked about how her old sorority sisters used to ogle him, if she’s truthful with herself. “What did she say?”

“Sweetheart…it’s not important…” he tries to hedge.

Nancy won’t let him get away with it, though. “It is to me. Tell me, Ned, what did Dottie say to you?”

“She…honey, this really isn’t important…” When she remains silent, he continues. “Dottie told me she thought I was attractive, and basically forced me to compliment her – it seemed like she doesn’t get very much of that from her husband.

“Then she offered to make herself…available…to me. But I told her no, sweetheart!” he quickly reassures her after his admission. “I told her that I love you and that nothing could make me be unfaithful to you! Please say that you believe me!”

“I do, Ned. I do.” Nancy pats her husband’s arm. “But how did she force you to compliment her, exactly?”

He groans, but she refuses to let him off of the hook. “She asked me if thought she looked pretty in her dress, then she told me that she looks even better without a stitch of clothing on.”

Nancy now understands the fury that Ned displayed earlier. It’s taking everything in her not to stomp out of their room and give Dottie a piece of her mind.

“I told her no, sweetheart!” he repeats, his desperation evident in his tone.

“And I told you that I believed you,” she told him, meaning it. “But…you must have been tempted.” At that, Ned’s head snaps up. “I mean, she’s so pretty and she’s…” Nancy lets her voice trail off.

“She’s what, Nance?”

“She’s experienced,” Nancy says softly. “She knows what to do …in bed, and I’m sure she’s not shy or embarrassed about it.”

“Sweetheart.” Ned reaches for her hand and kisses each of her fingers before lacing it through his own. “Why on earth would I want to be with someone who views me as a pawn in her little game?”

Nancy blinks in surprise at his words. “What do you mean?”

“Nancy, Dottie’s chief motivation for getting me into bed would be to make her husband jealous – and to stave off her own boredom. Now, why would I want to be with a woman like that when I have the unbelievable luck to be able to make love to the woman I’ve adored since the day I met her?”

“But-“

“But nothing,” he tells her firmly. “She could never hold a candle to you, my love.”

“Thank you,” Nancy whispers, smiling when his thumb rubs against her palm. “I can’t help but feel sorry for her, though – even though she came onto my husband.”

“Why?”

“Because, Ned, she’s newly married to a man who she knows steps out on her, even after only a few months of marriage, and every day she has to go through a charade. Sure, she lives in a big, fancy house and has furs and jewels and other nice things and gets to mingle in high society, but at what cost? Is it really worth the emptiness and boredom?

“I mean, even when she’s intimate with her husband,” Nancy continues, “she only does it as a means to an end – so she can get him to buy her more things or coerce him into doing what she wants him to do.”

“Sex as currency,” Ned muses.

“Exactly!” she replies, sitting up without even bothering to pull the sheet over her nude body. “It just makes me sad, that’s all. I mean, I know what it’s like when you and I…”

“Are intimate?” he finishes her sentence, obviously amused.

“Yes.” Nancy places her flattened palm over his breastbone. “And when we make love, it’s so special and beautiful and wonderful that I can’t imagine cheapening it, reducing it to a…a…transaction.”

“Special and beautiful, huh?” Ned teases, reaching up to tug at one of her golden locks.

“You forgot wonderful,” she teases back, bending her head down to rub the tip of her nose against his.

He cranes his neck up so that his lips can meet hers. “You, my darling wife, are so sweet and compassionate, do you know that?” His hand reaches out to skim over one of her nipples.

Nancy kisses him again, enjoying the feel of his fingertips against the tip of her breast. “You’re the sweet one.”

“I know it’s late, - or early, depending on how you look at things,” he notes wryly, glancing at the clock radio on the bedside table, “but can we make love again?”

She laughs. “Well, we do have to get up early, but who needs sleep?”

“Not me,” Ned tells her happily, cupping a breast in each of his hands.


	4. Chapter 4

“Why, good morning!” Margie beams at Nancy and Ned as she and Will pass by their table. Nancy has a plate of poached eggs, bacon and toast in front of her; Ned’s is heaped with hotcakes and sausage and hash browns. Both of them had insisted on a large pot of coffee, the caffeine a requirement after their late night.

“Good morning,” Nancy and Ned echo, smiling up at the other couple.

“Would you like to join us?” Ned asks politely, and Nancy watches him try to smother a yawn.

“That’s nice of you, Ned, but Margie and I just finished our own breakfast. She was just about to head out to do some shopping.” Will rolls his eyes, but they can tell that he’s only teasing.

“Speaking of, it’s a lucky break, running into you like this,” Margie declares. “Nancy, would you join me? I’m not nearly as adventurous as you are, and I’d get hopelessly lost, wandering around Miami all by myself.”

“Oh, I…”

Nancy tries to think of a polite way to turn the other woman down without hurting her feelings. However, she’s positively itching for the chance to continue the investigation into Charles Maxwell’s missing watch. They only have a few more days left of their honeymoon, and Nancy’s bound and determined to wrap things up before then. She’s never left a case unsolved before, and she has no intention of doing so this time around, either.

As it was, they’d gotten a late start that morning because Ned had decided to take some more time…practicing his cunnilingus skills, she recalls, hoping that the expression on her face doesn’t mirror her thoughts.

“You’re busy, I’m sure,” the other woman hedges apologetically. “I’m sorry. Forget I even asked.”  
  


“I do have plans,” Nancy replies truthfully, “but if it won’t take too long…”

“I can call the Maxwells and tell them we’ll be by their hotel later this morning,” Ned offers.

Nancy gives him a grateful glance. “Thanks, Ned.”

Margie rewards her with a bright smile. “Oh, you’re a peach, Nancy. It shouldn’t take more than an hour, I promise. The concierge said it’s only a quick walk to the store that he recommended, and I just need to pick up some stockings – I keep snagging mine. Will has made reservations for us at the best restaurant in town tonight, and I need to look my best.”

“You always look your best,” Will tells his wife, bending to plant a quick kiss on her cheek. Predictably, Margie turns pink with pleasure.

”Oh, I guess that means that the two of you will miss the fireworks tonight,” Nancy replies.

Their resort is holding a fireworks display after dark this evening, and she and Ned have planned to get there early so they can stake out a perfect spot to take in the spectacle – and have a romantic picnic supper on the beach beforehand.

“Yes, and we’re terribly disappointed,” Margie sighs. “But these reservations were incredibly difficult to come by, and we didn’t want to break them.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll have a lovely time,” Nancy reassures the other woman.

“Why don’t I let you get back to your breakfast? Meet you in the lobby in about a half hour?”

“Perfect,” Nancy agrees with a smile.

\--

“Nancy, you really are a doll for agreeing to come with me,” Margie tells her as they head out of the lobby and onto the street about forty minutes later.

“It’s fine,” Nancy reassures her. “It’ll be nice to get some fresh air, anyway.” She breathes deeply and can smell the salty tang of the ocean, which is directly behind them.

“You know, I tried to call Dottie to see if she could come join us, but there was no answer when I dialed her room.” Nancy’s stomach clenches at the mention of the redhead’s name, but she’s careful to keep a smile on her face. “I wonder if she and Tex were…busy.”

Margie lets out a giggle, which Nancy forces herself to echo. “Probably,” she replies neutrally.

For a moment, she’s tempted to ask Margie if Tex had also made any untoward advances in her direction – or if Dottie had made a pass at Will the way she had at Ned - but she holds her tongue. After all, Nancy barely knows Margie, and she immensely dislikes gossip.

The directions the concierge provided are excellent, and the two women arrive at the department store before long. The lingerie department is on the third floor, and when they step out of the elevator car, Nancy’s impressed by the racks and racks of nightclothes and the tables of brassieres and underpants, all impeccably folded and displayed in groups of color: whites give way to creams, creams to blushes, blushes to pinks, pinks to reds, and so on.

Margie quickly finds the selection of stockings and she sorts through the boxes to locate the color she needs. Nancy wanders away and her eye catches a display of fancy peignoirs and slips and babydolls. She reminds herself that she doesn’t need anything - as it was, she had brought almost half of her trousseau on their honeymoon, and the rest of it is back home, just waiting for her to take of the tags.

Despite her good intentions, Nancy picks up a gorgeous black lace and satin teddy. The garment is virtually sheer, with tiny satin bows dotting the sides and garters made of satin ribbons. It’s completely unlike any of her other lingerie, which is frilly and delicate and pastel-colored. This piece is sophisticated and… _sensual_ , she decides. It reminds her of something that Elizabeth Taylor would wear in one of her movies; everything she owns is what she imagines Debbie Reynolds would wear to bed.

Unobtrusive until now, a dark-haired saleswoman in a smart, cream-colored linen shift and brown pumps approaches Nancy. “May I help you?” she inquires.

“Oh, no, just looking,” Nancy replies politely, setting the teddy back down on the table from where she had picked it up.

“That would be divine on you,” The saleswoman tells her.  
  


“Thank you,” Nancy murmurs. “But I don’t need anything else, really.”

The saleswoman smirks. “My dear, no one _needs_ a black teddy.” She glances down at the rings on the fourth finger of Nancy’s left hand. “But I’m sure that your husband would love it,” she adds cunningly.

Nancy picks up the item again, her resolve wavering. Thanks to the saleswoman’s suggestion, she’s begun picturing Ned’s expression at the sight of her in the skimpy, see-through black lace. She imagines that it may just render him speechless.

Her mind made up, Nancy nods. “Do you have it in a small?”

\--

“And you’re positive that Mickey McNeill could have been responsible for the thefts?” Nancy inquires to the balding, portly manager of the Flamingo Crest.

She and Ned are at yet another resort, this one in HollywoodBeach. The two missing employees from the Maxwells’ hotel, Mickey McNeill and Allen Wallace, still haven’t been heard from, and Nancy’s hunch that they’re somehow involved in the theft of Charles Maxwell’s watch is getting stronger with each passing day.

Nancy had impulsively decided to ask the manager of the El Dorado, the hotel where the Maxwells were staying, for the list of references each man had provided when they were hired; that, in turn, had led her and Ned to the Flamingo Crest. The Flamingo had given such a glowing review of Mickey McNeill’s job performance that he’d been hired at the other hotel shortly after submitting his application.

“Yes – without a doubt,” the man tells her. “The only reason that I hadn’t called the police when Mrs. Sullivan’s diamond necklace disappeared and was found in McNeill’s locker is because Mrs. Sullivan is a regular guest of our hotel. She did not wish to bring any publicity to the fact that she was traveling with such expensive jewels – mainly because she didn’t want it to get back to her husband that she’d purchased yet another necklace.

“The only way she would agree to return was if I fired McNeill on the spot – and offered to comp her next stay,” he notes wryly. “Which I did.”

“I don’t suppose she’s here now?” Nancy asks hopefully.

Her hope fades with the manager’s reply. “No, she’s not expected back until next month.”

“So if you fired Mickey McNeill for theft, why did he put your hotel on his list of references?” Ned asks curiously.

“I have no idea,” the manager shrugs. “I would have told any other potential employer about what had happened here. As it was, I had no idea that he’d been hired at the El Dorado.” He picks up the pen that’s resting on his desk blotter and idly rolls it between his fingers. “Unless…”

Nancy eagerly leans forward in her chair. “Unless what?”

“There was a young lady who worked as my secretary. Whenever Mickey would come by the back offices here, she’d bat her eyelashes at him and they would engage in some harmless flirting back and forth.”

“Could she have been the one to give the reference when the El Dorado called to check on Mr. McNeill’s work history? Does she still work here? Did she have any connection to Allen Wallace, the other employee of the El Dorado who’s also missing?” The questions spill out in a torrent and Ned squeezes her hand, obviously amused.

The manager wheels his desk chair over to a file cabinet and after opening the middle drawer, rifles through a series of manila folders. “Wachoal, Wadsworth , Walitzer…” he muses aloud as he flips through the folders.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” he says, sounding surprised as he pulls out a folder from the drawer. “Allen Wallace.”

“So he did work here,” Nancy says, and she doesn’t make much of an effort to hide the triumph in her voice.

“I guess he did,” the manager replies, still looking puzzled. “You’ll forgive me,” he says, finally looking up from the folder, which is now sitting squarely in the middle of his desk. “I know many of the employees, but not all of them – the resort is very large.”

“I understand,” she reassures him, trying to stay calm. What she really wants to do is grab the folder and scrutinize its contents, but she forces herself to remain patient. “Can you tell when he stopped working here at the Flamingo?”

The manager peruses the contents of the folder. “Looks like it was also around the same time that McNeill left. He was only here a short time and only worked as an on-call employee, which is why I didn’t really know him.”

When Nancy gives him a puzzled look, he elaborates. “We have some positions where we call people in when we need them – if we’re holding large events, such as weddings or business meetings, we sometimes need extra staff. Wallace was one of those employees, but he didn’t last long.”

Her impatience finally gets the best of her, and she motions towards the folder. “May I see?”

The manager passes it to her and Nancy studies each piece of paper. Unfortunately, the information she finds doesn’t shed any light on her investigation. The address listed is the identical one that was on file at the El Dorado, the very place that she and Ned had staked out earlier in the week.

Once she has the manager’s permission, she carefully copies down some additional work history information for Allen Wallace, hoping that it will provide her with some type of a lead.

Ned finally speaks. “Do you see anything in there about the secretary, something that would show she was somehow tied in with Wallace? Is she still here?”

Nancy reaches out to pat his hand, proud that she’s turning him into an ace detective in his own right. “No, there’s nothing in here that shows she knew Wallace,” she notes with disappointment.

“Her name was Darcy,” the manager interjects. “Darcy Miller. She left the Flamingo a few months ago…in fact, it wasn’t much longer after McNeill was fired,” the manager muses. “Told me that she had another opportunity come up.”

“I wonder if…” Nancy sits back in her chair, thinking hard. “If McNeill had somehow persuaded the El Dorado to call here at a certain time, one that he and Darcy had already pre-arranged... Since she would have known your schedule, she would have known when you would be away from the office. That would have meant that she could have somehow pretended to be you…”  
  


“How could she have pretended to be a man?” Ned asks.

Nancy bolts upright in her chair. “Unless she didn’t! Unless Allen Wallace was in on it, too, and he’s the one who took the call.”

“Perhaps,” the manager replies, not sounding entirely convinced.

“Do you have the secretary’s home address from her employment application?” Ned interjects.

“Yes – let me just grab her folder.”

\--

Within a half hour, Nancy and Ned are sitting in front of a run-down, drab-looking apartment building in a seedy part of town. A dog is barking somewhere in the vicinity, and the sound reverberates through the neighborhood.

“Nance, are you sure you want to go in there?” Ned asks skeptically.

“Ned, it’ll be fine,” she tells him dismissively. “After all, I have you with me.”

He looks over at her and leans in for a quick kiss. “You know I’d do anything to keep you safe, sweetheart.”

She kisses him back. “I know.”

They get out of the car and head up the walkway, which is sprinkled with bits of broken glass. The flowerbeds planted around the front of the building are overgrown with weeds.

Nancy can feel eyes upon her and she turns around to see a man lounging against a chain-link fence. He’s got a lewd smirk on his face, which causes Nancy to move in closer to her husband. Ned looks up and gives him a glare; the man suddenly makes himself scarce.

The smell of frying fish and burnt potatoes greets them as they enter the lobby of the building. As they make their way up the staircase to the third floor, Nancy notices that the carpet is worn and the paint is peeling off of the walls.

 

Apartment 312 is smack in the middle of the hallway, and Nancy knocks on the door. It opens after a moment.

“Are you Darcy Miller?”

When the woman nods, Nancy takes the opportunity to study her. The platinum-blonde shade of Darcy’s hair has obviously come out of a bottle, and her makeup is so thick that it appears to have been put on with a trowel. However, she’s got curves that would rival Marilyn Monroe’s, and they’re poured into a cheap, skintight green dress. The only thing nice that Nancy could say about it is that the color matches Darcy’s eyes.

Nancy’s annoyed when those eyes land on Ned and linger. “Aren’t I a lucky girl?” she coos. “It’s not often I open my door and find such a handsome man standing on my welcome mat.”

Nancy’s irritation is ratcheted up another few notches when Ned gives Darcy a flirtatious smile. “May we come in?” he asks politely.

“Anything for you, handsome,” Darcy tosses back, opening the door wider.

“I’m Nancy Nickerson, and this is my _husband,_ Ned,” Nancy announces, emphasizing the word _husband_.

Some of the light goes out of Darcy’s eyes, but she still motions for them to sit down on her couch.

“So, what why are you here?” she asks after they decline her offer of coffee or water.

Rather than beat around the bush, Nancy starts her interrogation in a direct manner. “Miss Miller, we’re curious about how well you know Mickey McNeill and Allen Wallace.”

Both she and Ned are surprised when Darcy springs to her feet. “Whatever they did, I wasn’t responsible and you can’t blame me!” she bursts out.

“We aren’t,” Ned tells her soothingly. “We just want a little information, that’s all.”

“Well, I won’t tell,” Darcy pouts. “I refuse to get into trouble over something my stupid half-brother has done, I tell you!”

Nancy and Ned exchange startled looks. “Your half-brother?” Nancy queries.

Darcy has a nervous expression on her face, as if she’s revealed too much. She sinks back into her chair. “Allen always tells me I talk too much. His mother married my father when he was about six; I came along two years after that.”

“Darcy, we aren’t here to accuse you of anything,” Ned reassures her. “We just want to know if you have any idea where Allen and Mickey are, and if you think they could be working together.”

She gives a bitter laugh. “Oh, I’m sure of it. Allen’s always been a little bit of a troublemaker, and he met a kindred spirit in Mickey.”

“So how did he get you agree to help with the phony job reference from the Flamingo Crest?” Nancy asks.

Startled, Darcy stares at her. “You found out about that?”

Nancy nods. “And no one is looking to get you into trouble.”

“Allen promised that he’d help pay for me to take acting classes so I could get out of this dump and go to Los Angeles. All I had to do was coordinate the reference for his buddy McNeill. Besides, Mickey’s kind of cute, so I didn’t mind it so much. He’s not as cute as you, though,” Darcy tells Ned, furiously batting her eyelashes at him.

Nancy has to restrain herself from not rolling her own eyes at the display. “Well, Mickey’s now accused of a theft, this one at the El Dorado. He already got caught stealing at the Flamingo and was lucky enough that the hotel was just as eager to cover it up as he was.” she informs Darcy primly. “So it’s probably good if you tell us where he and your half-brother Allen are.”

“I don’t know!” Darcy insists hotly. “If I did, I’d go after them myself! That money they promised me for my acting classes? Never saw a dime of it.”

“That’s a shame,” Ned tells her sympathetically. “But you may know something that could be helpful without even realizing it. Is there a luncheonette or club or movie theater that they like to frequent, or some other place they enjoy spending time?”

Darcy purses her lips thoughtfully, and Nancy thinks that she’s only doing it to draw Ned’s attention to her mouth. “The only place I can think of is the racetrack in Hialeah.”

“Cars?” Nancy asks, wrinkling up her nose.

“Horses,” Ned corrects her. “They like to bet on the ponies, Darcy?”

She nods her head furiously, her platinum curls bouncing. “They sure do. One or both of them always has a copy of the daily racing form somewhere on their person.

“That’s why I’m not surprised that they were involved in some kind of a theft scheme – they were always looking to make quick money so they could blow it at the track. But I had nothing to do with it!” she adds quickly.

“Anywhere else you can think of?” Nancy presses her. She hates to admit it, even to herself, but she believes Darcy’s proclamation of innocence.

“No – they’re boring. They either spend the day at the racetrack or listening to the races on the radio at home. Mickey’s just like my brother. The one date he took me on was to the track! I had gotten all dressed up and had even set my hair – and all Mickey could focus on were those stupid horses!” Darcy’s eyes flash with indignation at the memory.

“A shame,” Nancy murmurs, but she didn’t even sound convincing to her own ears.

“Allen’s a real hermit – he likes to stay cooped up. Me, I like the fresh air and sunshine. He’s also kind of paranoid - always worried about an A-bomb attack, which is completely and utterly ridiculous.”

“So have you tried to track them down at either Hialeah or their homes? To get your money, I mean,” Ned asks.

“Yes to both,” Darcy replies grimly. “I’ve been calling and pounding on their front doors, but no one ever answers.”

“Have your father and stepmother heard from Allen?” Nancy ventures.

“They died in an automobile accident in Tampa about five years ago, and we don’t have any other family.”

“We’re sorry to hear that,” Ned replies.

“Look, I don’t know where my brother and his friend are – and I don’t care anymore. I just want to get out of this dump and I don’t want them dragging me down with any of their stupid schemes.”

Nancy fishes in her purse for a scrap of paper and a pen, jotting down their room number at the resort. “If you hear from either of them, can you give us a call? We’ll be staying at there for another two days. ”

Darcy looks like she’s about to protest – until Ned gives her a winning smile. She returns it, slipping the piece of paper into her skirt pocket. “The second I hear something, you’ll be the first to know.”

As they step out of the apartment building into the bright sunshine, Nancy takes a deep breath, grateful for the fresh air.

“So, Mr. Nickerson,” she drawls, poking her husband in the side, “you were awfully friendly to Darcy back there.”

Ned flushes. “Cut it out, Nance. You know I only did it so she’d be willing to talk to us.”

“I don’t know,” she teases. “It seems like you’ve made quite an impression on the women you’ve met here in Florida.”

“Well, I don’t care about any of them, Mrs. Nickerson,” he informs her as they approach their rental automobile. “The only woman I’m interested in making an impression on is my wife.” He slips his arms around her waist and kisses her.

“That’s the perfect answer,” she informs him as she returns his kiss.

“So, where to now?” He opens her car door and she gets into the passenger seat, wincing when the backs of her thighs make contact with the vinyl, which is now scalding hot after baking in the warm sun. Ned goes around the car and gets into the driver’s side.

“I don’t know,” she sighs. “We’ve already staked out Mickey and Allen’s homes – and it seems weird to me that they aren’t there, especially when Darcy just told us that they’re the kind of men that like to stay home.”

“Should we hit Hialeah?” Ned proposes as he starts the car. “See if they’re there?”

“Good idea. And even if they aren’t, maybe we’ll find someone who knows them and can tell us where else to look.”

Ned reaches across her lap to open the glove box and takes out a map, scanning it to find the location of the racetrack.

When he gets his bearings, he pulls the car away from the curb and begins to drive. “We just need to make sure we make it back in time for the fireworks,” he reminds her gently.

“Definitely,” she replies enthusiastically. “I’m looking forward to it.”

\--

The trip to Hialeah turned out to be a bust, Nancy thinks to herself as she drives back to the hotel two hours later. Not only hadn’t they found Allen or Mickey, no one there had seen the two men lately or had any idea where to find them.

“I could use a shower,” Ned’s voice cuts into her thoughts. “This heat is something else.”

“Same here – I want to be fresh for later on. And I don’t know about you, but I could sure use a nap,” Nancy says, yawning loudly. “Otherwise, I’ll fall asleep during the fireworks display.”

They get in about an hour’s nap, both feeling refreshed as they change into their swimsuits and make their way down to the lobby. Once they’ve picked up their picnic basket from the dining room, Ned discreetly tips the concierge as he directs them to the perfect spot on the beach.

They find it easily, and Nancy’s pleased by the location – it’s a secluded little spot that affords them both a gorgeous view of the ocean and the area where the fireworks display will be held later that evening but isn’t easily seen by others. This way they can have privacy during their picnic dinner.

Once they spread out the blanket and umbrellas, Nancy strips off her sundress, feeling Ned’s eyes on her as she disrobes. She’s wearing a bright blue strapless swim dress piped in white, and her husband’s gaze seems to vacillate between the tops of her breasts and the length of her legs, both of which have turned golden from the sun. Not that she can chastise him, though; once he strips down to his swim trunks, she has a hard time keeping her eyes off of his body.

Ned eagerly digs into the basket, setting each item onto the blanket with care. “Wow, they’ve packed quite a spread,” he reports, impressed.

“It’s wonderful,” Nancy agrees happily. They have freshly-baked croissants wrapped in waxed paper, a glass bowl filled with shrimp salad, a container of chilled green beans tossed in a lemon vinaigrette, and a tub of potato salad. Finally, Ned pulls a bottle of white wine and two glasses.

When she goes to prepare plates for them, Ned lightly swats her hands away. “Allow me to wait on my beautiful wife,” he insists.

“Why, thank you,” she replies flirtatiously, and is amused as he takes great care to prepare her sandwich, spreading the croissant with a generous helping of shrimp salad and dishing up healthy portions of potato salad and green beans for her. Once he’s assembled plates for the both of them, he uncorks the wine and pours them each a glass.

“A toast to the end of our eighth day in Florida,” Ned proclaims, raising his glass.

Nancy clinks her wineglass against his. “This has been a truly wonderful trip, Ned, and you’re the reason why.”

He gives her a tender smile. “Being with you over the last eight days has been like a dream come true. This is all I’ve ever wanted, sweetheart – you’re all I’ve ever wanted.”

“Thank you,” she murmurs simply before taking a sip of her wine. “I am happier than I ever thought I could be.”

As they eat their supper, they happily chatter about the progress they’ve been making on the case, their plans to pick out their first Christmas tree together upon their return home, and the final shopping they’ll need to complete before the holiday.

Before long, the beach starts to fill up with other resort guests, couples and families who are trying to get good spots that’ll give them a prime view of the show. She’s glad that the area that the concierge recommended is well out of sight so she and Ned can have a modicum of privacy.

As it starts to get dark, Ned takes out the brownies and fruit salad that the hotel has so carefully packed in the picnic basket and they grin delightedly as they feed each other brownies, grapes, bites of strawberries, and chunks of pineapple.

She leans back against him as they watch the first fireworks light up the deep inky blue of the sky. Nancy thinks about how perfect this moment is – she’s with the man she loves, they’re blissfully happy on their honeymoon, the setting is gorgeous...She wishes the night could go on forever and feels a twinge of sadness upon realizing that they’ll be back home in a few days.

The darkness has also caused a drop in the temperature; for the first time all week, there’s a cool breeze coming in off of the ocean. It ruffles their hair and causes goose pimples to rise on the flesh of her arms. Inadvertently, she shivers against Ned’s shoulder.

“Cold, sweetheart?” he whispers in her ear. When she nods, Ned reaches over and tenderly wraps a blanket around them, cuddling her closer to his side.

“Better,” she whispers back, smiling.

“I love you so much,” he says in a voice that’s so low it’s for her ears only, “and you are so enchantingly beautiful here on this moonlit beach.”

“You are full of compliments, sir,” Nancy teases him, though his words thrill her. “And I love you, too.”

She’s not entirely surprised when his hand creeps under the blanket to rest on her knee, and less so when he slides it up higher on her leg.

“We’re in public,” she reminds him gently as a white rocket explodes in the sky.

“There’s no one around. And even if there were, no one could see what I’m doing under this blanket,” Ned replies as his hand rubs her inner thigh.

Nancy’s all but purring when one of his fingers inches underneath the elastic leg band at her crotch. “Stop,” she commands him weakly.

Ned gently bites down on her earlobe as his finger traces her inner lips, brushing against the golden curls he finds there. “Do you really want me to stop, sweetheart?” he asks softly. “Or would you like me to keep going?”

Knowing full well that she should put an end to this, Nancy instead asks him to continue. When his finger begins to probe her damp inner flesh, she lets out a gasp, thankful that the _oohs_ and _aahs_ of the crowd have muffled the sound.

“So tight and wet, my sweet Nancy,” he murmurs into her ear. “You probably taste so delicious right now. Shall I find out?”

Nancy has a sudden vision of him drawing her down onto her back on the beach towel and putting his mouth between her legs, right here in the open for all to see. She tries to remind herself of how incredibly inappropriate it would be, but all she can think about is how wonderful it would feel.

“H-how?” she stammers.

She’s disappointed when Ned withdraws his hand from between her legs and pulls it out from underneath the blanket, but Nancy can’t help but find it unspeakably erotic when he sucks his wet finger into his mouth.

“I was right,” he tells her, an entirely naughty gleam in his eye. “Sweet and delicious. What I wouldn’t give to lay you right out here on our towel and push aside that swimsuit so I could lick and nibble at that gorgeous flesh between your legs. I’d go nice and slow until you were begging for your climax.”

The flesh he’s talking about clenches fiercely in answer and Nancy flushes as she remembers how he knelt in front of her last night and again this morning. “We can’t,” she tells him, but she can’t for the life of her remember why.

“Later,” Ned tells her. “Later when we’re in our hotel room I’ll part those lovely legs of yours and rub my tongue and chin all over your pretty little honeypot until you scream for me like you did last night – and this morning. But now…” he puts his hand back under the blanket and strokes her again, “I’ll just settle for using my hands.”

He’s now using a second finger to rub against the tender nub of flesh and Nancy shocks even herself when she lets out a loud, lusty moan.

“Good, sweetheart?” Ned asks quietly. “Does it feel good when I touch you? Does it remind you of when I put my fingers inside of you when we’re getting ready to make love?”

“Yes,” she hisses as his fingernail grazes the bud. Nancy’s hips begin to buck in reaction to her husband’s touch and she can feel her nipples tightening beneath the fabric of her swimsuit.

“You are dripping wet,” he says in amazement. “Wet and ready for me.”

“Ned,” she half-moans as he increases the pressure of his fingers against the slick bundle of nerves. “Please.” The word vibrates with the desperation she’s experiencing.

“Please what, sweetheart?”

By now, she’s panting. “Please don’t stop.”

“You want me to keep touching you until you climax, sweetheart?”

“Yes,” she whimpers. “Yes, please, Ned.” The sky lights up in starbursts of bright greens and yellows, and the fireworks are an apt metaphor for what’s going on inside of Nancy’s body right at this very moment.

“I wish we were in our bedroom right now,” he tells her quietly. “So we could make love over and over and over again. You are so unbelievably sexy and desirable, do you know that? Do you know what it does to me to hear those sounds you make, to see the expression of bliss on your face when I’m touching you and kissing you?”

Nancy shakes her head, barely able to concentrate on the words he’s saying. The stroking of his fingers between her legs is so pleasurable that it’s taking all of her strength not to strip off her swimsuit and pull him down on top of her.

When he slips a third finger into the hollow of her sex, she feels as if she’s about to go mad with desire. “Mmmm,” she whimpers.

“I love you,” Ned tells her softly, his lips grazing her ear. “I love you so much and I love being able to express my love for you, physically, after so many years. Tonight, sweet Nancy, I want to be able to last long enough so that you can come when my dick is inside of you. I just want to keep stroking inside that sweet, tight, wet honeypot over and over and over until I can feel you climax around me. ”

Hearing him say these naughty things to her – in public, no less – should make her hush him or pull away. Instead, though, it inflames her desire, which was already white-hot. “Ned,” she moans weakly.

Just when she thinks she can’t take any more teasing, his thumb grazes the tight bud between her legs as his other fingers continue to probe her. The stimulation is all too much, and she feels her inner flesh spasm. Right as she’s about to cry out, Ned hastily clamps his lips over hers, and she releases the scream into his mouth. She dimly makes out the spectacularly huge ending of the fireworks display in the sky above them and hears the crowds cheering as if they’re miles instead of feet away.

After a few more gentle swipes with his fingers, Ned slowly releases his hand from beneath her swimsuit. Nancy sags against his shoulder, completely spent.

“Ned,” she manages to get out a few minutes later. “Ned.”

“What do you say we head inside?” he murmurs. “Go up to our room and finish this?”

Nancy moves to sit on his lap, and isn’t entirely surprised to feel his manhood firm against her bottom.

“Sweetheart,” he tells her warningly, gently gripping her hips and shifting her slightly away. “Sweetheart, I’m extremely aroused right now, and you climbing on top of me isn’t a great idea.”

She’s glad he can’t see the flush in her cheeks in the darkness and hastily scrambles back onto the blanket. “I’m sorry.”

Ned leans over to give her a brief kiss. “Don’t be. But let’s hurry back to the hotel, shall we? That way, I can do all of those things I’ve been dying to do to you and we won’t have to worry about other people seeing or hearing us.”

Never in her life has Nancy packed up a picnic basket so quickly. She and Ned all but throw the now-empty plates and containers and glasses back into the basket and roll up the blanket in about a minute flat. As they make their way across the beach back to the hotel, she knows he must be as frustrated as she is by the crowds of people impeding their progress.

At last, they make it to the hotel and are hurrying through the lobby on the way to the elevators when she hears someone call out to them.

“Why, if it isn’t the Nickersons!”

When she hears the familiar drawl behind them, Nancy winces, knowing that what’s about to come next isn’t going to be good. Still holding hands, she and Ned slowly turn around to find Tex standing there in a suit and tie, a smirk on his face. Nancy can’t believe that he’s being so uncouth as to let his eyes roam all over her body in plain sight of her husband, even lingering in certain areas.

“Stonebriar,” Ned snarls, apparently not missing how his eyes are roving over Nancy’s figure.

“Am I interruptin’ something”? Tex booms. “Were you two about to head up to your honeymoon suite?”

Ned answers in one word. “Yes.”

“So, how’s the honeymoon been? Judgin’ by the fact that no one’s seen much of the two of you around the resort over the last several days, I’m guessin’ that it’s goin’ _very_ well.” He winks exaggeratedly.

“We’ve been having a great time,” Ned replies tersely. Nancy can tell that he’s trying very hard not to cause a scene, and she squeezes his hand reassuringly.

“How could you not? After all, you’re spendin’ time with this pretty new wife of yours!” Tex booms.

Nancy groans internally. She doesn’t need a crystal ball to be able to guess how Ned’s going to react to the other man’s comment.

“You have some nerve, talking about my wife,” Ned snaps. Tex blinks in surprise.  
“Yes, she told me how you propositioned her – I don’t know what _your_ marriage is like, but Nancy and I have no secrets.”

“Come on, man,” Tex chuckles nervously, stepping backwards. He’s slightly taller than Ned, but Ned’s much more muscular and athletic. “It was just a joke!”

“A joke?” Ned asks, and his voice has gone dangerously soft. “You coming on to my new bride was a joke?”

Tex looks around frantically, as if checking to see if someone will come to save him. “I was kiddin’ around – sorry, honey, if you thought I was bein’ serious,” he addresses Nancy. “She was exaggeratin’,” he appeals to Ned.

Ned’s face is dark with fury, and Nancy almost takes pity on Tex after seeing the murderous expression in her husband’s eyes. “Are you calling my wife a liar?”

“No, no!” Tex stammers out. “I just meant that maybe she’d….misinterpreted what I’d said.”

“Oh, there was no _misinterpreting_ your intentions, Tex,” Nancy interjects hotly. “Your message was loud and clear.”

“If I _ever_ catch you anywhere near Nancy again, I will beat the shit out of you,” Ned tells Tex, biting off each word as if it were its own separate sentence, and Nancy’s shocked by both the overt threat and the language that Ned’s used. She’s also shocked to find herself overcome by a wave of desire from the display. “Is that clear?”

Tex mumbles something under his breath that Nancy can’t hear.

“Is that clear?” Ned repeats ominously.

Tex nods nervously and speaks up. “Yes.”

Ned glares at the other man for another moment before gripping Nancy’s elbow and steering her to the bank of elevators.

The ride up to their floor seems interminable, but finally they arrive at their room.

The minute the door to their suite closes behind them, Nancy grabs her husband by his shirt front and fuses her mouth to his. Ned’s taken by surprise but recovers quickly, sliding his hands down to cup her rear.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into you,” Ned tells her between kisses, “but I like it.”

“Seeing you stand up to Tex and defend my honor made me very…” she pauses, kissing the hollow of his throat, before starting to unbutton his shirt.

“Aroused?” he asks, sounding amused.

“Mmm,” she agrees readily, planting kisses down his chest after undoing more of his buttons.

“Do you want me to take off your clothes so we can make love?”

‘Yes,” she pants. “Please.”

“Say it,” he commands her, his voice husky with desire. “Tell me.”

“I want you to…” Nancy unzips his pants, gasping when he takes one of his hands and slides it beneath the top of her sundress and under her swimsuit to stroke her breast.

“Say it,” Ned repeats, coaxing her nipple into a hard peak.

“Please, _please_ take off my clothes and make love to me. Please, Ned. I want you so much.”

He needs no further urging. In one swift movement, he pulls the dress over her head, then yanks down her swimsuit, leaving her entirely naked.

Nancy slips off his shirt and pushes down his pants, and the both of them work to quickly slide down his briefs. When he’s as nude as she is, Ned grabs her by the hand and leads her to the bed, pushing back the covers.

Nancy slips off his shirt and pushes down his pants, and the both of them work to quickly slide down his briefs. When he’s as nude as she is, Ned grabs her by the hand and leads her to the couch.

“Here?” she asks, blinking in surprise.

“I thought we’d change things up a little bit tonight.”

She’s briefly reminded of the conversation she’d had with Dottie and Margie in the ladies’ room the other evening, and she flushes lightly at the memory. “How?” she now asks her husband.

Ned grabs for a clean towel from her beach bag, which she’d quickly dumped on the coffee table in front of the couch. He hastily spreads it over the sofa cushions before taking a seat. As he pats his thighs, she walks over to him, still not quite sure what he intends for them to do.

He reaches out his hand, signaling for her to sit on his lap; Nancy, noticing his erect male member, gingerly perches her bare bottom on his knee.

“So, I had an idea,” he murmurs, rubbing his thumb over her nipples before slipping his tongue into her mouth.

Nancy can barely think but she manages to answer him. “What’s that?”

“Every time we’ve made love, I’ve been in control of the speed and angle and depth of penetration.”

Nancy blushes slightly at the word he’s used, but doesn’t interrupt. “You have,” she agrees, stroking his back as she tilts her head up for another kiss.

“What if you’re in control?”

She pulls back and stares at him in astonishment. “What? How?”

“What if you’re on top?” His grin is unbelievably sexy, and it sets off a delighted tingle down her spine.

“On top?” she echoes weakly, although the idea becomes appealing, especially as she begins to imagine it.

“Yes,” he replies, bending his head to kiss the firm pink tip of her left breast, then her right. “You’d climb on top of me and straddle my hips and…” Ned licks her nipples and she lets out a low moan. “And you’d ride me until you reached your climax.”

“Ride?” she repeats, moaning again as he sucks one of her nipples into his mouth.

Ned looks down at her with a smoldering glance. “Sweetheart, now that we’re married, I can admit this... Every time we’d go horseback riding together, I couldn’t help but imagine you riding me in the exact way you climbed astride a saddle, your beautiful breasts bouncing up and down as you slipped my member between your legs.”

Nancy blushes furiously, slightly shocked by his admission – but also intrigued by it. “You…you thought of me that way?”

“I did,” her husband confesses, biting down gently on her nipple. “I tried very hard to be the perfect gentleman, but sometimes I couldn’t help myself when I was in private. You’re so beautiful and desirable that my thoughts sometimes strayed to us engaging in pursuits that were less…chaste.”

“So, if I were to…climb on top of you,” she has trouble saying the words aloud, “I would be able to control things?”

“Yes – you’d be able to set the pace, determine how much of me you’d have inside of you…What do you say?”

Nancy’s still slightly shocked by his suggestion but she’s entirely too curious of a girl not to try it. “Okay.”

“All you have to do is put your knees outside of my hips and spread them wide. Then you can take a hold of my…” Ned gestures down to his crotch, “and guide it inside of you. Once that happens, you can move up and down.”

Even though they’ve been naked and touching and doing all kinds of intimate things with each other over the past week, hearing him spell out the logistics of making love in this position is still a little embarrassing.

Nancy’s game to try it, however, and she follows his suggestion. Balancing her weight on her palms, she leans forward to grip the back of the couch behind his head, and her eyes roll back in her head when Ned captures one of her nipples between his lips and starts to suck.

Once she’s lined herself up so that her crotch is hovering over his, she takes one of her hands and uses it to cup his erect member, gently guiding him towards her opening. As she sinks down onto him, they both let out loud moans of pleasure.

“My God,” Ned mutters in disbelief. “You feel so damn good, sweetheart.”

Nancy looks down at him shyly, unsure of what to do next. “I…”

He grips her hips. “Ride me, sweetheart. Just like I was your own personal stallion.”

She giggles at the mock leer on his face and tentatively lets her hips rise and fall. The friction is so incredible from this position that she stops giggling and lets out another moan.

“That’s it, baby,” he urges her on, and the low, seductive sound of his voice serves to make her even more aroused than she already was.

It’s probably very improper, but it feels entirely too good for her to want to stop, so Nancy begins to rock her hips faster, enjoying each delicious stroke of his manhood inside her tender sex.

She looks down and the expression of total and complete lust on her husband’s face as he watches her breasts bounce and her body undulate over his only serves to inflame her even further.

“Sweetheart, you feel so good and you look so damn sexy,” he growls. “That’s it, beautiful. Ride me. You know it feels so good. So right and so good.”

“Ned,” she whimpers as his fingers dig even harder into her hips and he leans forward to suck at her nipples again.

“Yes, sweetheart. Come on, baby, tell me. Tell me how much you love this. How much you love making love to me. Show me, my sweet wife.”

Nancy arches her back and gasps from the fresh wave of pleasure it brings.

“Mmm, it feels so wonderful,” she moans, her hair spilling down her back as she continues to slide up and down his member. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, and I love this, honey. You look so incredibly sexy right now,” Ned tells her, his voice still raspy, “but I am going to try my damndest to hold out for you, gorgeous.

“Now, squeeze around me, sweetheart. Clench that tight, sweet little honeypot around me.”

Nancy grips at his shoulders for purchase, her nails digging into his skin, as she tightens the muscles at her core around him as he’s suggested. Her husband growls an epithet but Nancy just keeps rocking up and down and squeezing. Her face is so red that it feels like it’s burning and her thighs and knees are killing her, but there’s no way she’d ever stop now.

“That’s it, beautiful,” Ned urges her on roughly. “Give it to me.”

“Mmm, Ned! Oh Ned, oh _Neddddd_.” Her hips are bucking frantically against his and she feels like she’s burning alive from desire. She’s close, so close to her climax, and she prays that he’ll last long enough so she can get there.

Just then, he takes a hand off of one of her hips and uses it to stroke the bud between her legs at the same time that he leans over to rub his stubbled cheek against her tight nipples.

The overlapping sensations are enough to bring her to her release. Nancy loudly screams out her pleasure, almost sobbing out his name as it crashes over her. No sooner do the spasms at her core start to subside when Ned grabs her hips and gives one hard thrust upwards, groaning loudly as she feels him spend himself inside of her.

She collapses against his chest, the force of it so strong that it actually knocks him against the back of the sofa. For a long while, the only sound in the room is from the two of them panting loudly as they try to catch their breath. Ned runs his palms up and down her bare back, which is damp with perspiration.

After several minutes go by, he raises his head and gives her a lazy smile. “Was that good, sweetheart?”

“Mmm,” she agrees, her heart still pounding. “Thank you for…for waiting.”

“It was worth the wait. Nancy, sweetheart, feeling you and watching you reach your climax while I was inside of you…it was the most spectacular thing I’ve ever seen or felt.” He plants a soft kiss on her lips.

Nancy reluctantly disengages her body from his, her thighs protesting as she shifts off of his lap. She tries to stand, but her legs are so weak that she actually stumbles, and Ned has to reach out to steady her.

“You okay?” he chuckles.

She nods, but keeps a hold of his hand. Ned also gets to his feet, and she notes that he’s also having difficulty keeping his balance. They make their way to the bed, where he pulls back the covers and gently sets her down before disappearing into the bathroom again.

Nancy stretches out on the bed, her head sinking onto the pillow. She’s worn out from her two climaxes, but she’s too keyed up to fall asleep.

He comes back into the bedroom with a damp washcloth in his hands, and Nancy sighs as he bends over and tenderly wipes her thighs.

“Do you know how beautiful you look right now?” he asks, his voice soft. “Lying here naked in our bed, your pretty golden hair spread out like a halo, looking up at me with those sweet blue eyes?”

She silently shakes her head, staring up at her husband, whose tanned skin has been burnished golden from the bedside lamp.

“You are the most gorgeous woman in the world, and I’m so lucky you’re mine.” He sits on the edge of the bed next to her and runs his thumb over her lips.

Nancy smiles up at him, reaching up to caress his muscular arm. “I love you,” she tells him, her voice barely audible.

He leans over and brushes his lips against hers. “I love you, too. And I would love to be able to make love again – but only if you’re ready.”

Wordlessly, she pulls him on top of her, shifting her hand to stroke his already-hardening manhood.

Ned grins down at her. “Thank God. Do you want to be on top again?”

“If you can make me feel like _that_ again, yes.” Nancy giggles.

He rolls over in one swift movement, effectively reversing their positions. The look of delight and adoration on his face nearly takes her breath away. “Sweetheart, I will do whatever it takes to make sure I hold out long enough to let you climax again. I guarantee it.”

“Just curious,” she muses, rubbing the tip of her nose against his. “How did you manage to do it just now on the couch?”

Ned chuckles, one of his hands stealing around to cup a breast, the other resting on the small of her back. “Well,” he drawls, “it wasn’t easy, especially with my delicious wife bouncing on top of me, but I somehow managed to block it out and recite the starting lineup of the ’60 Cubs in my head.”

“Baseball?” she giggles again, slowly shifting so that her knees are outside of his hips. She pushes herself up on her elbows, then balances her weight on her palms so that she’s looking down at him.

“That’s right,” he confirms with a nod of his head. “Running through last year’s lineup was enough of a distraction for me to control myself, but not so consuming that I wouldn’t be able to focus on you.

“Now,” he continues, pinching one of her nipples, “ride me again, delicious.”

“Mmm, my legs are pretty sore,” she informs him teasingly. “But it felt so good that I’ll manage.

“Good.” Ned gives her a sly smile. “Then maybe later you can ride me in another way.”

“Another way?”

Ned nods, and she can detect a gleam of mischief in his eyes. “If you straddled me with your back to me.”

Nancy considers what he’s just said, trying to figure out the machinations of it. “But that way, you’d have a view of my…”

“Of your pert little bottom?” Ned finishes her sentence, now looking amused. “That would be okay with me, sweetheart – it’s one of the many things I love about your figure.”

He gently caresses the body part in question and Nancy feels a tingle at her core. “Along with your cute toes, your perfect legs, your shapely hips,” one of his hands shifts to her hips, “your tight, tasty honeypot…” The fingers of his other hand graze the join of her thighs, making her shiver.

“Shall I go on, darling?” When she nods, he continues to inventory her body. “Your adorable navel.” Nancy giggles when he traces it with just the barest tip of his index finger but doesn’t bat him away.

“Your gorgeous rosy-tipped breasts.” He rubs her nipples and she sighs.

“Your swan-like neck, your elegant spine.” His fingers slowly trace it, making her shiver.

“The graceful slant of your chin, your pretty pink lips, your beautiful blue eyes, and your lovely blonde curls.” Ned threads his fingers through her hair before cupping his hand around her cheek. “Nancy, sweetheart, I love _all_ of you, and I intend to spend the rest of my lifetime learning your body as well as I know my own.”

Nancy bends over him, rubbing her lips against his. “I love the sound of that. And I love you.”

He kisses her back, his tongue grazing hers, and her body is primed and ready for them to make love again. As if he senses it, Ned takes a hold of his erect member and positions it towards her opening. Nancy shifts her hips upwards so that she can slide down onto him, and they both hiss with pleasure once he’s inside of her.

Like last time, she takes it slow, savoring the feel of having her husband deep within her sex. Propping up her hands behind her, Nancy rocks up and down, moaning with delight when Ned uses his flattened palms to rub her tight nipples. She finds a rhythm that creates the most magnificent sensation of friction, and she can hear the mattress springs creaking beneath them as Ned’s hips rise and fall to meet hers.

Her husband’s fingers slip down her torso to rest at the blonde curls at the join of her thighs, and he gently rubs his fingertips over them. Nancy eagerly anticipates what he’s about to do next, and he doesn’t disappoint – his fingers gravitate towards the slick button inside of her, and he begins to stroke it using the same rhythm she’s established to ride him.

A few more swipes of his fingers, and Nancy begins to tighten her muscles around him, just as he’d instructed her to do the last time. It’s enough to bring on the start of her release, and she cries out loudly as the wave of ecstasy hits her. A few more thrusts of her hips, and Ned gives in to his own release – she feels the warm, sticky result of his climax inside of her.

Nancy slumps down on top of him, and she can feel his heart hammering as hard as hers is as she rests her hot and flushed cheek against his shoulder.

She’s the first to speak. “That was…”

“Even better than the last time, and last time was spectacular.” She can hear the grin in his voice.

“Mmm,” Nancy happily agrees. She reluctantly pushes herself up and off of him, smiling at Ned as he immediately draws her to his side so she can cuddle up against him. His arm drapes around her waist.

“Give me a minute, sweetheart, and I can get us another damp washcloth so we can freshen up,” he offers.

“Why don’t we just take a bath instead?” she suggests. “That way, we can clean up _and_ I can soak my poor, aching thighs.”

Ned laughs, squeezing her waist. “Sore, sweetheart?”

“Very,” Nancy admits. “A nice soak in a hot tub will probably help.”

“Then let’s go.” He releases her and climbs out of bed, only to scoop her up into his arms. “I’ll draw us a bath and rub your legs – how’s that?  
  


She reaches up to fling her arm around his shoulders as he carries her to the bathroom. “Such a good husband.”

“Because I have such a good wife.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a continuation of let it be me, where Ned asked Carson for Nancy’s hand in marriage and Nancy accepted Ned’s proposal. They’re now man and wife, and are on their honeymoon. 
> 
> Sorry that this has been lingering out here for so long, but life has unfortunately gotten in the way. However, to make it up to you, I’m posting chapters 5 and 6 in their entirety now. There will be one final chapter to this before it’s finally complete, but no guarantees about when it will be done! 

  
Day nine

Nancy groans as the alarm clock buzzes, waking her out of a deep sleep. She’s curled up on her side and Ned’s spooned up behind her, one of his hands cupping her breast. They fell asleep naked and she can feel his male member stirring against her bottom - she can’t believe that he could possibly have the energy to make love again after last night.

Ned leans over her to slam the alarm clock off. “Time to get up,” he informs her.

Nancy makes a sound of protest. “It can’t be. Isn’t it still the middle of the night?”

Ned chuckles. “Sorry, Mrs. Nickerson – it’s a quarter to eight. We promised the Maxwells we’d meet them at their hotel at nine-thirty.”

While Nancy didn’t have much new information to report, she had offered to swing by to see Charles and Winifred so she could give them an update before following up on the employment information she’d found in the Flamingo’s files.

She yawns loudly. “I’m too sleepy, Ned. I need another few minutes.”

“Are you actually delaying work on a case?” he asks, his voice vibrating with playful shock.

“Not delaying – I just need a few more minutes of sleep. I’m sure the Maxwells will understand if we’re a little late.”

“Well, I hope you don’t try to blame me; after all, it’s your fault,” Ned teases her.

“Oh?” she asks playfully, raising one eyebrow as she turns to face him. “And how is it my fault, sir?”

“Well, miss, if you hadn’t been so gorgeous and insatiable last night…” He wiggles his eyebrows up and down in a lascivious manner, causing her to flush.

“Never mind,” she tells him, rolling her eyes.

He’s right, though – after their interludes on the couch and bed, they’d fooled around in the bath before going back to bed to make love once more, that time with him on top. Nancy had been exhausted and sore, but it had been well worth it – she’d reached her release more times than she’d been able to count.

“Tell you what – I’ll set the alarm for ten more minutes and then we can quickly shower and dress.”

“Perfect,” Nancy replies, settling back down under the covers.

She’s nearly fallen back to sleep again when a loud crash jolts her awake. It seems to have come from the hallway, and the clatter sounds like someone’s dropped an entire china service onto a room service cart.

“Did you hear that?” she asks Ned, who’s lying on his back next to her.

He groans, his eyes still closed. “Nancy, anyone within a ten-mile radius would’ve heard that; hell, anyone in a bomb shelter within a ten-mile radius would’ve heard that.

The minute his words sink in, Nancy bolts upright to a sitting position. “Say that again,” she commands her husband.

Ned’s eyes slowly open before he gives her a puzzled look but he repeats his comment.

“That’s it!” she squeals excitedly. “You’re a genius – I married a genius!”

Sleep forgotten, she throws back the covers and hops out of bed, practically dancing around the room as she gathers up her clothing for the day. Her legs are still sore, but she’s too focused on her case to pay any attention to the discomfort.

“Come on, sleepyhead!” she implores him. “Time to get showered and dressed! We have some thieves to catch!”

“What on earth are you talking about, Nance?”

“Get up and I’ll tell you!” She bounds over to the bed and grabs for his hand, her excitement giving her the strength to practically pull him up.

Ned groans but pushes aside the covers and gets to his feet. “I’m moving.”

“Don’t sound so grumpy, Ned,” Nancy tells him playfully. “Once you have a shower and some coffee, I’m sure you’ll perk right up.”

“You’ll owe me big time for this.”

“You can collect later.”

He gives her a grin. “Oh, I intend to.”

\--

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Nickerson – why is it that you want to know this?”

It takes everything in Nancy not to snap at the city clerk, who has been nothing but patronizing since she and Ned burst into his office five minutes earlier. After nearly pleading with his secretary to be allowed to see the man, he had only agreed to it after Nancy’s husband had echoed her request.

She takes a deep breath, willing herself to remain patient. “I am working on an investigation for some acquaintances and I need some information in order to see if I’m on the right track.”

The clerk raises his eyebrows. “An investigation?”

“Yes,” Nancy replies, wincing at the edge that’s crept into her voice. She deliberately softens her tone. “I sometimes look into matters for people, and that’s what I’ve been asked to do here. I need to see a surveyor’s map of a particular parcel of land here in Coral Gables – the property has a house built on it, but I need to know more about the land around it.”

But the man doesn’t seem to be deterred from his train of thought. “That sort of work sounds awfully complicated and dangerous for a pretty lady like you. Why don’t you let the police handle it, honey? I’m sure your husband here,” he nods at Ned, “would appreciate that.”

Ned, as if sensing that she’s about to explode from frustration, steps forward. “They are already involved, but my wife’s been asked to provide a little extra assistance. She’s very good at this sort of thing, and she’s doing it as a favor.”

“If she were my wife, I’d want her at home, putting her time to better use,” the clerk harrumphs. “The cooking and cleaning won’t get done by themselves.”

“Then it’s lucky I’m not your wife,” Nancy replies, her blue eyes flashing.

“Can you just tell us about the land, please?” Ned asks, injecting a placating note into his voice. “Then we’ll leave and let you get back to work.”

The clerk grimaces. “Fine. Address?”

Victory imminent, Nancy removes her white cotton gloves and digs into the pocket of her yellow-and-white striped shirtwaist dress for the slip of paper where she’s written down Allen Wallace’s home address. She silently passes the paper across the counter to the clerk, who studies it for a moment before going over to a file cabinet across the room.

The wait seems to take hours; in reality, it’s only a few minutes before he returns with some papers in his hand.

“Here’s what you were looking for,” he tells Nancy, all but shoving the documents at her.

She eagerly rifles through them, letting out a cry of triumph when she finds what she’s looking for.

“Ned, here it is!” she exclaims, pointing to the information she was so excited to find. “My hunch was right!”

“My wife’s not only gorgeous, she’s also a brilliant sleuth,” Ned teases, kissing her on the cheek after reviewing what she’s showed him.

“Well, my husband’s comment this morning was what led me to this hunch,” Nancy reminds him modestly.

“Are you two done?” the clerk rudely interrupts them.

If Nancy wasn’t so eager to get out and rush over to Allen Wallace’s house, she would take her sweet time, just to annoy the clerk. However, she quickly gathers up the papers and hands them over the desk once again, forcing herself to thank the clerk politely before taking Ned’s hand and all but dragging him out of the office.

The minute they get outside, Nancy eagerly heads for their rental automobile, but Ned stops her by placing a hand on her forearm.

“Nance, I hate to sound like that jerk in there,” he gestures his thumb back towards the office building, “but don’t you think we should telephone the police and have them meet us there?”

“Ned, I don’t want to waste another minute!” she protests. “As it is, I have no idea if my theory is right – what we bring the police in on this, only to find that it was a dead end? I don’t want to waste their time, and I don’t want to look foolish!”

“But what if you are right?” Ned counters. “I don’t like the idea of you confronting two potentially dangerous criminals, Nance. After all, they must be desperate by now, and if they’re trapped, who knows what they’ll do?”

Nancy brushes aside his concerns. “I’ll have you with me as my bodyguard – surely Wallace and McNeill won’t be any match for the tall, strong former quarterback of the Emerson football team.”

He deliberates for a moment, as if he’s trying to come up with a way to change her mind. Finally, he lets out a long sigh. “You win. Let’s go over there now. But the minute we sense there could be trouble, I want you to run to a neighbor’s house and ask them to telephone the police, Nancy.”

“Okay,” she agrees quickly, pulling away so she can get to the car.

Ned’s reflexes are sharp, though, and he once again clasps her arm. “Nancy, I mean it. At the first sign of danger, I want you to get help. It took me years to get you to marry me – I’m not about to lose you now.” He cups her chin in his hand.

Nancy leans forward and gives him a peck on the lips. “You won’t lose me, Ned – I promise. Everything will be fine.”

He still looks skeptical but returns her kiss. “You’re lucky that I love you.”

She kisses him once more. “I completely agree with you about that, darling.”

\--

Nancy brings the rental automobile to a stop a half block away from Wallace’s house and turns off the ignition. When Ned gives her a puzzled look, she explains. “If they happen to be in the house and look out the window, I don’t want them to see us parked out front.”

“Good point,” he replies, following her lead by getting out of the car.   
  
They make their way down the street and when they’re approaching Wallace’s residence, Nancy silently points to the side of the house. As they make their way across the overgrown lawn, the tall grass brushes at her shins, and she’s glad she thought to put on a pair of low-heeled pumps for today’s sleuthing activities.

Unfortunately, it’s still extremely hot out; the weather forecast has called for thunderstorms this evening, which should finally break the heat for good. It doesn’t help now, though – Nancy’s skin is prickling from a combination of the heat and humidity.

“I know they’re in hiding, but would it kill them to take care of their yard?” Ned mutters after he nearly stumbles over a clump of weeds.

“Shhh,” Nancy whispers, studying the house to see if she can spot just what it is she came here to find.

I know it’s here somewhere, she thinks, refusing to let herself become discouraged when the answer isn’t obvious.

“Now what?” Ned voices the words that she’s already thinking.

“We keep looking. I know it has to be here – you saw the map, just like I did.” He shrugs but keeps his eyes fixed on the house as he quietly walks around the yard.

Nancy does the same, scanning the clapboard siding, the yard, for something, anything that’ll give them a hint.

Ned comes back to return to her side. “I couldn’t find anything like what we’re looking for on the other side of the house. See anything?”

She shakes her head, disappointed. “There’s no secret door or entrance anywhere around here. But I had a feeling, Ned!”

“Want to switch sides?” he asks. “You check out where I just came from and I’ll keep looking here?”

“Maybe,” she sighs.

Just when she’s about to give up, she stares at the shed, which is in the left rear corner of the yard. It’s shaded by trees and almost entirely obscured by a thicket of overgrown shrubs. “What about there?” she asks her husband, pointing to the shed.

He shrugs, slapping at a mosquito that’s landed on his neck. “What, are you showing me more of their terrible landscaping?”

“It’s the shed – I just remembered that that the police told the Maxwells they’d checked the house and a shed.”

“So if the police already searched it, what could we find?”

“Not sure – let’s see. It’s worth a shot, right?”

They pick their way across the overgrown lawn, careful not to step in any unseen holes, and Ned eases open the door to the shed.

It takes them a moment for their eyes to adjust the darkness inside, and Nancy’s glad that she remembered to stash a penlight in her purse for just this very reason. She fishes it out and trains the narrow beam of light along the rickety wooden walls of the structure.

She walks inside, Ned following close behind, and trains her light over every inch of the interior. Nancy feels something brush by her leg, and she bites back a squeal, relieved to see that it’s just a spider.

“Nance, I don’t see anything besides rusty old tools and some gardening implements,” Ned tells her in a hushed voice.

Just as she sweeps the beam of light over the inside of the shed once more, she notices something on the floor. It’s a mound of dirt, a fresh one at that, as if was just placed there fairly recently. It’s also loosely packed, which means that someone had also recently disturbed it.

Nancy approaches the pile of earth, her excitement growing as she focuses the penlight onto it.

“Ned!” she calls out in a stage whisper, beckoning for him to come join her from the corner where he’s been searching for an opening.

“It’s a dirt floor,” he replies, sounding puzzled.

“Ned, don’t you see?” she asks, trying to keep her patience as her excitement grows. “I think this is hiding something!” She points to the pile of earth she’d noticed and Ned dutifully uses his foot to push it aside.

It takes everything in Nancy not to let out a cry of triumph once she sees what was underneath. “I knew it!” she whispers.

“I’ll be damned,” Ned replies, stunned. “I mean, I believed you when you came up with this idea, Nance, but I can’t believe you found it. Allen Wallace’s bomb shelter.”

“I know,” she replies gleefully, careful to keep her voice low. When Ned had moved the dirt, he had revealed what appeared to be the door to a storm cellar. A casual observer who had done a cursory search of the shed would never have noticed it.

During their conversation with Darcy yesterday, she had mentioned how her brother was paranoid about the threat of an atomic bomb. Ned’s comment that morning about hearing the loud crash of the room service cart from a nearby bomb shelter had set off bells in Nancy’s head – it had to be where the thieves were hiding, and it was also likely where they had stashed their loot.

Their visit to the city clerk’s office confirmed that Allen had applied for a permit to build an underground structure last year, but what it hadn’t shown was an entrance or exit to the hidden room. That fact had niggled at Nancy, which is why she’d wanted to search every square inch of the property to find a way in.

Ned tentatively opens the cellar door, and Nancy holds her breath. She’s incredibly relieved that it doesn’t squeak or groan, thus tipping someone off to their presence. Using her penlight, they peer down into the opening, which leads to a narrow cement staircase. The short flight of stairs pitches down into the ground, stopping at another door, this one made of stone-gray steel.

“Okay, so now that we’ve found Allen Wallace’s hidden lair, how do we get him or Mickey McNeill to let us in?”

“We keep pounding on the door until they emerge. And if they don’t, I’ll know my theory was wrong.”

“That’s your plan?” Ned asks, skeptically.

“Do you have a better one?”

“Calling the police and telling them to do a better job of searching the place than they did the first time around.”

She shakes her head stubbornly and quietly tiptoes down the concrete steps leading down to the door of the bomb shelter, Ned at her heels. Just as she’s about to knock on the door, he grips her forearm and pulls it back.

“Let me do that,” he whispers. “I’d rather they see my face first rather than your pretty one, Nance.”

“Actually, Ned, I have a plan, and the more I think about this, the more I think it’s better if you go back up the stairs and outside.” She points upwards. “You can wait in the open doorway of the shed and watch from there.”

He shakes his head vehemently. “No way,” he replies stubbornly, his voice still pitched low.

“But they may be nervous if they see a man – I’m not as threatening if I’m there by myself,” she argues.

“So I let you stand there alone and let you get taken hostage once they figure out why you’re really there?”

“They won’t do that,” Nancy reassures her husband with more confidence than she actually feels.

“Oh, yeah?” he challenges, one eyebrow raised.

“Ned, I’ll be fine. You’ll be right here to keep watch. And if I’m in trouble, I’ll send a quick signal with my penlight. Once I give you the signal, you can hurry down the steps and take care of them.”

He grimaces but she can tell that about to give in. Ned quickly drops a kiss on her lips and grips her upper arms. “Please be careful, Nance.”

Nancy kisses him back. “I will, sweetheart.” He gives her one more glance before quietly making his way up the concrete steps and moving to stand in the doorway of the shed. From his vantage point, he can see directly down to where Nancy’s standing but Allen and Mickey wouldn’t be able to see him. If they’re here, that is.

Once Ned’s in his hiding place, Nancy knocks on the door of the bomb shelter, tentatively at first; when there’s no answer, she raps harder.

After there’s still no answer, she begins pounding on the door. She’s just about to give up when the door suddenly swings open to reveal a short, slightly balding man. Nancy’s heart begins fluttering with excitement.

“Who are ya and whaddya want?” he demands, glaring at her.

Nancy gives the man her most winning smile, all the while trying to stare into the dim room from which he’s just emerged. “Are you Allen Wallace, by any chance?”

“Who wants to know?”

Her smile dims slightly but Nancy refuses to give up – after all, she’s come this far.   
“I’m Mrs. Coleman and someone told me that you specialize in selling certain things.” She giggles and makes her eyes wide and guileless.

Allen Wallace looks at her skeptically. “Who told you that?”

Nancy acts deliberately vague. “Oh, I heard from a friend of a friend… You see, my husband Edmund and I just got married. Since Christmas is coming up, I wanted to get him something really special, like a nice watch. But I don’t have a lot of money.” She curls her lower lip down into a pout.

“And why do you think I can help you?”

She sighs internally; she hadn’t thought it would be this difficult when she’d formulated the plan in her head on the spur of the moment. “I heard you sometimes have things that you sell to people for cheap. And I was hoping…”

“What?”

“I was hoping that I could maybe buy something from you. Since I’m a newlywed and this is going to be my first Christmas with my husband, I thought it would be simply wonderful to give him a lovely present. ”

He looks at her suspiciously. “Who told you about me and how the hell did you know where to find me?”

Nancy’s heart is now pounding, but she tries her hardest not to have her voice shake when she answers him. “My friend knows your sister Darcy, and Darcy told her that you sometimes…come into possession of certain things. Ooh, I hope I didn’t get anyone into trouble!” she gasps dramatically.

“Damn it, I knew that my half-sister had a big mouth!” he hisses.

“You know us girls!” Nancy chirps. “Always chattering on and on about things.”

Allen grimaces. “Especially Darcy.”

“So, anyway, do you maybe have something I can buy for my husband?”

“I might – if the price is right.” He leers at her, and Nancy makes her best attempt not to recoil when his hand reaches out to cup her arm just above the elbow.

“That’s great!” she bubbles, hoping and praying that he’s being taken in by her act. “So, what kinds of things do you have?”

“What do you want?”

“I was thinking about maybe a nice watch, like I said earlier. Or I’d even take a pinky ring or a fancy utility knife or something?”

Allen’s just about to reply when a taller man with slightly wavy dark blond hair comes up behind him. “What the hell are you doing, Allen?” he barks, glaring at his consort.

Allen points to Nancy, who puts on a smile to greet who she assumes is Mickey McNeill. Since the bomb shelter must be pretty small, she can’t figure out where he would have come from. “Talking to this little lady here. You wouldn’t want me to turn away a pretty blonde, now, would you?”

Mickey’s expression is still hard. “What does she want?”

“To know if we have anything she can buy for her husband.”

“Yeah?”

Nancy nods, praying that her nervousness isn’t reflected on her face. “That’s right. I need a special Christmas gift for him, and I need a discounted price.”

“I think a girl like you is in the wrong place. This isn’t exactly Sears and Roebuck, honey,” Mickey tells her.

She once again turns down her lower lip in an imitation of a pout. “I know, but I can’t afford much. Darcy told me that you’d be able to help, and I’ll be so disappointed if I can’t get my husband a nice present and I-”

Mickey cuts her off. “Wait a minute – Darcy sent you here?”

Alarm bells are starting to go off in Nancy’s head, but she’s far too invested to back out now. “That’s right – we have a mutual friend and-”

Again, he interrupts. “And Darcy told this friend to send you here?”

She forces herself to breathe, praying that Ned’s still able to watch from his perch at the shed door. “I told you – my friend directed me here because she thought you could do me a favor!”

“So you decided to come by and see if we could sell you stuff just out of the goodness of our hearts. You came to this hidden passageway in the floor of a shed that’s in the dark corner of the yard?”

Mickey leans forward and grips her other arm in a painful vise. “Try again, honey, because I know for a fact that no one else knows about this bunker in this shed. Unless you told your scatterbrained sister?” He turns to Allen with an accusatory glare.

“No,” Allen insists, his gaze now suspicious as he studies Nancy’s face. “Yeah, how did you find out about this place? Because I never told Darcy about it.”

Caught! Nancy thinks, desperately. “I…I…”

“You wanna know what I think? I think Blondie is a cop,” Mickey sneers, putting his face close to hers. From this proximity, he positively reeks of cigarette smoke.

“I’m not a policewoman!” Nancy exclaims in protest. “I’m not! I told you, I just came here for a gift for my husband!”

“Your story doesn’t fly anymore, angel,” Allen tells her. “I think Mickey’s right – you came here to snoop so you could have us arrested.”

“No!” Nancy insists, hoping that by raising her voice, her husband’s able to hear her.

“Well, we don’t believe you. And we don’t like snoops – even pretty blonde ones.” He grabs her by the arm and begins dragging her into the bunker.

Nancy’s in a full-on panic now and prays that Ned can somehow hear the commotion. Just to make sure, she drops her penlight so that it clangs against the concrete of the floor; the weak stream of light that bounces off of the walls is the signal that she’d promised she’d provide.

As the bunker door slams behind her, she strains to hopefully catch the sound of her husband’s fists pounding against it. Unfortunately, Allen and Mickey move her to a bench in a far corner of the room, away from the door.

“You alone, Blondie?” Mickey snarls. “Or did you bring any of your friends from the force?”

For a split second, Nancy deliberates whether she should tell them about Ned’s presence outside. She decides against it, though, realizing that if Allen and Mickey also capture her husband, there’ll be virtually no chance of anyone coming to rescue them.

She injects a whiny note into her voice. “I already told you – I’m not a cop! I’m just a housewife looking for a nice gift for my new husband!”

“And you just happened to stumble upon our hideout.” Allen made it a statement, not a query.

“I’m by myself – just let me go!” Nancy sidesteps the question. “My husband will be home from work soon, and I just know he’ll send a whole army to come looking for me when he finds I’m not home!”

It takes some time for her eyes to adjust to the dim light; now that they have, she can see entire metal shelving units crammed full of items that she’s willing to bet have been stolen from someone or somewhere. A wave of excitement bubbles up within her when she realizes that her theory was completely accurate; it bursts when she remembers that she’s alone in a small, dark space with two criminals.

“You should have thought of that before you started snooping, Blondie,” Mickey tells her. “We could have you arrested for trespassing – I’ll bet your husband wouldn’t like that very much.”

I wish they would call the police, Nancy thinks to herself. Instead, she focuses her energy on concocting a plan to get herself out of there.

“I’m sorry. Why don’t you just let me out of here and we can forget all about this. I won’t tell anyone,” she wheedles.

“Right,” Allen snorts. “Like you wouldn’t call the cops as soon as you got out of here.”

“Yeah, we don’t believe you,” Mickey echoes. “So you aren’t going anywhere, Blondie.” He flips up a light switch, and an overhead fluorescent bulb illuminates the chamber.

Nancy’s discouraged but refuses to give up hope. Ned had to have run for help when he saw her signal, she reminds herself. Her husband wouldn’t have just left her here, of that she’s positive. In the meantime, she can ask questions of the two men holding her, in the hopes that she can get them to confess to the thefts.

“So where did you get all of these wonderful things?” she asks breathily, trying to sound innocent.

Mickey goes to a steel filing cabinet and takes out a length of rope. Nancy’s mouth goes dry, but she forces herself to focus. “I mean, they’re beautiful. I definitely see a few things that my husband would like – and so would my mother-in-law. I would be glad to buy some of them – how much?”

“Never mind,” Mickey tells her as he approaches the concrete bench where they’d dragged her. “Get up.”

Nancy obeys his command and isn’t at all surprised when he pulls her to a chair, tying her hands behind her back and binding her feet together. She bites her lip to hold back a yelp as she feels her circulation being cut off.

Since Mickey appears to be the strong-arm of the pair, she decides instead to appeal to Allen. “I just wanted to buy my husband a nice present,” she says tremulously, her lower lip quivering and her eyes filling with unshed tears as she gazes in Allen’s direction.

“Hey, maybe she really is a harmless broad,” Allen tells his partner. “We could sell her some stuff and kick her out – I bet she wouldn’t say anything.”

“I wouldn’t,” Nancy agrees, her blonde hair flying as she fiercely shakes her head. “I wouldn’t say a word to anyone.”

“Shut up,” Mickey snaps. “You aren’t going anywhere, Blondie.”

“You never told me - where did all of this stuff come from, anyway?” she sniffles. “It’s so pretty.”

“You’re a curious one, Mrs. Coleman,” Mickey informs her. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you that curiosity killed the cat?”

“I just want to know,” Nancy replies, making her voice small. “After all, I would guess that someone would have to be really clever in order to accumulate all of these beautiful things. And you two seem very clever.”

Her words work like magic; Mickey’s chest puffs out boastfully. “Honey, we’re responsible for some of the biggest hotel heists in Florida over the last five years – and some near Atlanta and New Orleans, too.”

“Wow!” Nancy exclaims, making her eyes wide in an approximation of awe.

“That’s right,” Allen chimes in. “And we’ve only gotten caught once – even then, Mickey was able to talk them into letting him go. The hotel didn’t want the embarrassment.”

“How’d you do it?” Now that she’s gotten them talking, Nancy wants more details.

“By getting jobs at the hotels and falsifying our resumes – then setting up fake references.”

“Wow, that is smart!” she exclaims. “So what kind of stuff did you get, and where did you get it from?” Mickey gives her a wary look. “You’ve already said that I’m not getting out of here, so what’s the harm in telling me?”

He gazes at her for a minute, and she can tell that he’s deliberating. Finally, he resumes speaking. “All kinds of stuff, Blondie. Watches, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rare gold coins, even some fancy dresses. We’d only pick the classiest joints to work for; that way, we’d have access to the best of the best.

“One of us would take the stuff using gloves and we were always careful to make sure the thefts couldn’t be tied to us. Then we’d move on to the next place – only after we made sure that no one would be able to establish a pattern, of course. ”

“Of course,” Nancy echoes. “How’d you do that?”

Mickey appears to be in a bragging mood, so he answers her question. “Sometimes we’d use our real names, sometimes fake ones, and we’d even use disguises, on occasion.

“Goodness, that’s brilliant,” she bubbles. “I never would have thought of that!”

“Hey, Mickey, what do we do with her?” Allen asked, suddenly looking nervous.

“Good question. She’s definitely a complication I didn’t foresee.”

Nancy feels a new flutter of nerves in her belly but is careful not to let her anxiety show. “You could still just let me go…”

Mickey laughs. “That’s not going to happen. For right now, we’re just going to leave you here until we can figure it out.”

“But what if I get hungry or thirsty?” she whines, hoping to make them feel sorry for her – or irritated with her.

“Too bad – that’ll teach you not to go snooping, Blondie.”

He chuckles before beckoning for Allen to join him at a door that Nancy’s just noticed. “Where are you going?”

“Back to the house,” Allen replies before Mickey smacks him on the back of the head.

“Never mind where we go, Blondie. We’ll be back when we have it all figured out.” With that, Mickey opens the door to what appears to be a tunnel and snaps off the light. Both he and Allen disappear without another word.

The minute the door closes behind them, Nancy prays that her eyes quickly adjust to the darkness. Once they do, she frantically scans the chamber to determine if there’s a way she can escape. Again, she prays that Ned’s gone for help and that someone’s soon coming to rescue her. In the meantime, though, she has to try and find a way to free herself.

Nancy wriggles her wrists, hoping that she can somehow undo the ropes. The cords are painfully cutting into her skin, but she doesn’t let that stop her. Finally, after several long, agonizing minutes, she’s able to loosen the knot and her hands are free. Relieved, she frantically moves her arms in front of her and shakes out her hands in the hopes that she can get rid of the numbness. Once she has feeling in them again, she leans down and undoes her feet.

She rushes to the door leading back into the shed and throws back the deadbolt, almost sobbing with relief when she sees the cement staircase. Her legs are still weak but Nancy makes her up the stairs – only to find that she can’t push open the door leading down to the cellar.

Something must be blocking it! Nancy lets out a low groan. Allen and Mickey must have put something over it just in case. For a moment, she feels herself overtaken by despair; it doesn’t last long, though.

You mustn’t give up! Ned has to be coming back to rescue you! She scolds herself. Just as she starts to push all of her weight against the door, Nancy could swear that she hears voices, albeit slightly muffled ones.

“Nancy, sweetheart, can you hear me?”

The sound of her husband’s voice brings on such a wave of reassurance that Nancy nearly cries. “I’m in here!” she shouts, banging on the door.

“We’re coming, sweetheart! Hold on!” Ned’s voice sounds closer now, which likely means that whatever blocking the door is being pushed away.

After what seems like hours but is likely just a few incredibly long minutes, the cellar door opens and Nancy looks up to see several police officers and her husband staring down at her.

“Oh, sweetheart, I’m so glad you’re all right,” Ned tells her, the relief evident in his voice. “I’ve been worried sick.” He helps her up the last few steps and pulls her to his chest.

Nancy throws her arms around his waist and squeezes tightly, so glad to be safe and in his embrace.

Suddenly, she pulls away. “You have to get them!” she tells the police. “Allen and Mickey – you have to get them! They must be hiding out in the tunnel that’s between this bunker and the house!”

Startled, the policemen look at each other. “Are you sure?”

She nods vigorously. “Yes! Don’t let them escape!”

“Are they armed?” A ruddy-faced officer whose uniform is snug around his belly asks her the question.

“I don’t think so - at least, they didn’t use a weapon on me. Oh, please hurry – they’re responsible for all sorts of thefts, and I’d hate it if they got away!”

The officers hurriedly dash down the concrete steps and Nancy is about to follow them when Ned grabs her arm and pulls her back. “You’re staying here, Mrs. Nickerson. Let the police do their jobs.”

“But, Ned! I have to-”

“You have to stay here,” Ned repeats, and she can tell that he’s trying his hardest to sound firm, but his words are colored with relief.

She reluctantly agrees and lets Ned pull her close to him once more. “I’m so glad you’re safe, sweetheart. Do you know how worried I was?”

“I know, and I’m sorry, Ned.” Her voice is muffled by his shirtfront. “But I couldn’t just stand by without investigating!”

Ned pushes her away, gently gripping her upper arms and planting a kiss on her lips. “When I saw the signal from your flashlight and heard the door slam, I was terrified, Nancy. I ran down the steps and tried to break down the door, but it was thick steel – it just wouldn’t budge.

“So that’s when I ran for help. The only reason it took so long was that no one in the neighborhood was home! I had to keep going from door to door to find someone – and even when I did, it took me what seemed like forever to convince the woman I wasn’t playing a prank. I finally got through to her and got her to call the police.”

“You saved me.” Nancy kisses him back.

“No, you saved yourself, Nance,” he replies with a rueful grin. “You were already out of there when the police opened the cellar door.”

“But I don’t think I would’ve been able to open the cellar door, Ned,” she tells him modestly. “Not without your help.”

She absently rubs at her chafed wrists; Ned notices and brings first one, then the other up to his lips to rub them against her tender skin.

“Did they tie you up, sweetheart?”

She brushes aside his concern. “Yes, but it wasn’t so bad – I was able to undo the knots quickly.”

Ned shakes his head, looking as if he wants to say more but is holding his tongue. “So, what did you see down there?”

“All kinds of things!” Her enthusiasm is back in full force. “They had shelves and shelves of stolen property – watches and jewelry and coins and all sorts of things! And they confessed to being behind the hotel thefts – the ones at the El Dorado and the Flamingo and a whole bunch of others!”

“I can’t believe you got them to tell you all of that.” Her husband shakes his head admiringly.

“Most criminals are more than happy to boast about their cleverness with just a little push,” she informs him.

“Most wives wouldn’t know that.” Ned’s voice holds a touch of amusement.

“Most husbands wouldn’t let their wives chase after jewel thieves during their honeymoon.” She looks at him tenderly. “Thank you, and I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry, sweetheart?”

“For spending the last full day of our honeymoon trip locked in an underground bomb shelter.”

Ned laughs at that. “You wouldn’t be my Nancy if you hadn’t. And I love you the way you are – I told you that on the night I proposed, and again when we said our vows, and I meant it.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Just as Ned’s about to kiss her again, Nancy hears a commotion. The police emerge from the underground shelter with a scowling Mickey and Allen, their hands cuffed behind their backs.

“You!” Mickey snarls. “I knew you were a cop, Blondie!”

Allen shakes his head mournfully. “I should’ve known better than to be taken in by a pretty blonde.”

“And now you’ll be taken into jail,” the portly officer tells them, leading them to the squad cars parked in front of the house.

“Mrs. Nickerson, you did a fine job,” the younger cop tells her. “If you ever decide to relocate to South Florida, I’m sure my boss would be happy to hire you on as a special liaison.”

Nancy laughs, flattered. “Well, thank you for your kind words. But I think my husband and I,” she loops her arm around Ned’s waist, “are perfectly happy to stay in River Heights.”

\--

“I can’t believe you recovered my watch,” Charles Maxwell repeats for what may be the tenth time since Nancy and Ned showed up at the El Dorado.

After the police had taken Allen and Mickey away, Nancy and Ned had asked to return Mr. Maxwell’s watch to him personally, and the police chief had been completely receptive to the idea. They’d gone to the station to give their statements before making a brief stop at their hotel to freshen up before calling on the Maxwells.

“It was a lucky guess,” Nancy now replies modestly. “And I never would have figured it out if it weren’t for Ned.”

“See, I told you that Nancy Drew would be able to help!” Winifred crows delightedly.

“She’s a great detective,” Ned agrees. “The best one in the world – and the prettiest.”

“Oh, stop,” Nancy blushes.

“Well, I, for one, can’t thank you enough,” Charles declares. “Please say you’ll let me show my gratitude.”

“Oh no,” Nancy protests. “We don’t need anything.”

“I insist. After all, it’s your last night in Florida – and you’ve spent most of your time here working on my case. It’s the least I can do.”

“I’m used to it by now,” Ned jokes. “It wouldn’t be a vacation with Nancy without some sort of mystery occurring.”

“You can’t talk me out of giving you a reward,” Charles proclaims, taking a wad of bills out of his pants pocket and pushing it into Ned’s palm. “Use the money to take your lovely bride out for a special dinner.”

Both Nancy and Ned blink at the amount of money Charles has given them – they had known the Maxwells were wealthy, given the hotel where they were staying, but his gift is entirely too generous.

“We can’t,” Ned protests.

“You can and you will,” Winifred tells them decisively. “And we’ll even call the concierge to have them make you a reservation at one of the best restaurants in town.

She picks up the receiver of the telephone sitting on the desk. “It’s all settled. Go and enjoy your romantic dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Nickerson.” She winks broadly at them.

\--

  
Several hours later, Nancy and Ned let themselves into their honeymoon suite.

“That dinner was divine,” she sighs, slipping out of her silver evening pumps.

The concierge at the Maxwells’ hotel had made a reservation for Nancy and Ned at a fancy French restaurant, where the waiters had all worn tuxedos and white gloves and had used little gold-plated brushes to sweep the crumbs off of the thick snowy-white tablecloth between courses.

The generous reward Charles had given them had been enough to splurge on a truly decadent meal of baked brie cheese in puff pastry, mussels à la Provençal, duck a l'orange, boeuf bourguignon, haricot vert, mousse au chocolat, and a vintage bottle of champagne. The bubbly wine and the looks that Ned had given her across the table had been enough to make her feel slightly lightheaded.

“It really was,” he now agrees. “And you look so lovely tonight, sweetheart, that I’m glad we were able to go somewhere special.”

She flushes happily. “It’s my new dress - I wanted to save it for our last night here.” Nancy smoothes down the fabric at her hips, pleased that her husband likes it. The off-the-shoulder full-skirted satin frock in a shimmering sea green had been fairly expensive, but she’d been unable to resist it during her pre-honeymoon shopping spree.

Ned comes over to her and places his arms around her waist, drawing her close. “You were the most beautiful woman at that restaurant tonight. Every man in the place had his eyes on you – and wished they were me. ”

Since she’s removed her shoes, Nancy has to stand on her tiptoes in her stockinged feet to receive his kiss. “Well, I was with the most handsome man there, so I didn’t notice anyone else.”

He kisses her again, letting his hands drift down to caress her bottom. “So, now that your case is over, I can have your undivided attention during our last night in Florida?”

“I think I can manage that.”

Ned kisses her jaw, her chin, and begins to nibble his way down her neck, until Nancy’s boneless in his grasp.

“Know why I love this dress?”

“No,” she manages.

“Because it exposes all of this creamy, soft skin.” Ned brushes his lips against the hollow at her throat and slowly works his way down to the top of her dress. “Beautiful, Nance – you’re so beautiful.”

“I love you,” she sighs. “And I love what you’re doing to me right now, but I need to go change.”

Ned groans against her skin. “Nooooo. I can get you out of this dress in about two minutes, sweetheart. I’ve wanted you since we were at the restaurant – please don’t make me wait any longer.”

She reluctantly pulls away. “I promise it’ll be worth it, Ned. Give me a few minutes?”

He gives her a look of disappointment but takes his hands off of her. “Hurry, please.”

“I will,” she vows, giving him a little half-wave before retrieving the bag from yesterday’s shopping expedition with Margie and disappearing into the bathroom.

\--

Nancy hadn’t remembered the teddy being quite this sheer when she first saw it at the department store yesterday morning. As she ponders her reflection in the bathroom mirror, she notes that the pink tips of her breasts are clearly visible through the lace; when she looks down, she can easily see the blonde curls at the join of her thighs.

With a sigh, she adjusts the ribbon garters dangling down from the bottom of the teddy and re-clips them to her newly-purchased black stockings. They’re the kind with the seam running up the back, which she never before would have dared to wear. The saleswoman had convinced her that her regular nude-colored ones wouldn’t do, and she had been persuasive enough for Nancy to agree. Margie had just giggled, telling her that Ned would be so thrilled at the sight of her in the lingerie he wouldn’t be able to stand it.

Next, she slips on the ridiculously fluffy mules that she’d added to her purchases after some additional coercing from the saleswoman and Margie. They pinch her feet terribly and their soles are as hard as rocks, but even she has to admit that they add a sexy touch to her outfit.

Feeling very exposed in her barely-there ensemble, Nancy puts on the black satin robe that had been a bridal shower gift from one of her friends. She initially belts it tightly around her slender waist; after a moment’s hesitation, she undoes the sash, letting the robe fall open to reveal the teddy underneath. Another minute goes by, and she removes the robe entirely.

On impulse, Nancy picks up her cosmetic case and takes out a tube of lipstick, painting her lips a deep, cherry red. She uses her brush to fluff up her golden curls and puts on a quick coat of mascara. Once more, she studies her reflection in the mirror, and is shocked by how sophisticated she looks. Ten short days ago, she’d looked every bit the innocent and virginal bride; tonight, she looks like a worldly, experienced woman.

She presses her palms flat against her stomach and takes a deep breath to try and calm her nerves. Fibbing her way into a bomb shelter to confront two thieves hadn’t made her nervous, but the idea of standing in front of her new husband in a few scraps of black lace and satin does. Telling herself that she’s being positively foolish – after all, they’ve been naked around each other and doing all sorts of intimate things over the last several days - Nancy gathers up her courage and opens the door.

When she walks out of the bathroom and Ned catches sight of her in just the teddy, she realizes that the prediction she’d made while looking at the outfit in the store has come true. His mouth is open, but no sound is coming out of it.

“Is this…is this okay?” she asks timidly. Suddenly, she’s a little worried again. Will he think she’s too forward; will he think less of her for dressing so scantily?

“Okay? I…Are you asking if…if I think you look…okay?” her husband stammers, unable to tear his gaze from her body.

Nancy’s blushing a little under his frank scrutiny and gives a tentative nod. “Yes. I mean, it’s something that I picked up yesterday when I went shopping with Margie. I can change-”

“No! No, don’t you dare,” Ned tells her, his mouth turning up in a broad grin. “Don’t you dare, Nancy. Because that is… you are the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Ned,” she whispers, pleased that he likes it.

“I mean it, sweetheart. Gorgeous and sexy and erotic and…mmmm.” He gives a blissful sigh. “Come here.”

She walks to stand in front of him and Ned puts his hands all over her lace-covered bottom. “So damn sexy and beautiful. Like a risqué fantasy come to life.”

Nancy giggles. “I’m glad you approve.”

“So, I’m assuming this means you want to make love again tonight? Or did you just put this on to tease me?”

“I do,” she confirms. Even ten days ago, the though of telling Ned that she wanted to go to bed with him would have seemed shocking; now, she’s as eager as he is.

One of Ned’s hands creeps up to stroke her nipple, which is now poking through the lace of the teddy. “I’m so glad, because I want you so much, sweetheart.”

She leans forward to kiss him, and then uses her thumb to wipe the trace of her red lipstick from his lips. “Then make love to me.”

“How do I take it off?” Ned whispers into her ear.

“The, um, snaps are…here.” She takes one of his hands and moves it to her crotch.

Ned uses one fingertip to stroke the strip of snaps at the join of her thighs, and she shudders with delight.

“Mmm, you’re already wet,” he groans. “Did it turn you on, dressing up for me like this?”

“I…I…” Nancy can’t quite form a full sentence as he continues to stroke her through the lace.

“Did you get excited at the thought of my reaction to this sexy, naughty lingerie? At the idea of me stripping it off of your delectable body and touching you and kissing you everywhere? Of me running my tongue and lips all over your skin before I slide inside of you?” His voice is soft and seductive and she can’t stop trembling.

“Yes,” she moans, unable to focus on anything except his words and his touch.

“I love this outfit, sweetheart, and I’m very appreciative that you put it on for me. And I fully plan on showing you my appreciation tonight.”

Nancy giggles despite her arousal, which flares even hotter when he undoes the snaps, one by one. His fingers gently slide up inside of her, while his thumb caresses the slick bud between her thighs.

“Ned,” she sighs contentedly. “This feels so good.”

“I’m glad,” he tells her. “Because I love giving my beautiful wife pleasure. There is nothing sexier to me than when we’re making love and you’re making noises or calling out my name.”

It’s taking all of Nancy’s strength to remain upright as his fingers continue to probe her. In the distance, she can hear rumbles of thunder, signaling that a storm’s rolling in.

Ned uses his other hand to push down the spaghetti-thin straps from her shoulders, leaving her breasts bared to him. He bends his head and captures one of her tight nipples between his lips, sucking slightly. The teddy is bunched up around her midsection, but she wouldn’t think of stopping him in order to fix it.

Nancy arches her back, moaning with delight as her husband continues to stroke and tease her.

“Let’s go to bed, gorgeous,” he murmurs against her breast. She hitches herself up to wrap her legs around his waist, gasping when her already-sensitive slick inner flesh and her naked breasts brush against the fabric of his shirt and pants. Her arms twine around his neck and she sighs when his hands clutch her bare bottom, his mouth fused to hers as their tongues tangle.

Dimly, Nancy notices that he’d opened the curtains leading out to their balcony and had slid the door open a little. The sound of the waves crashing against the beach only adds to the ambiance of the evening.

Ned carries her over to the bed and pushes back the covers before gently placing her down onto the mattress. He places his palms on each side of her head and lowers himself to, effectively caging her body beneath his. Reaching up, Nancy tugs on his tie so that he collapses on top of her, enjoying the feel of his weight pinning her to the mattress. She hears another crack of thunder, and this one sounds closer than the last.

As they continue to kiss, she begins undoing his tie and unbuttoning his shirt, tugging it out of his pants and tossing the garment to the floor. His undershirt is next, followed by his pants. She can feel his maleness hard against her stomach through the thin cotton of his briefs.

“Let’s take this off of you, shall we?” Ned suggests as he reaches for the teddy, which is now bunched up at her waist.

“You have to unsnap the garters first,” she reminds him with a little giggle.

Ned slides his hand down the top of her bare thigh; it takes him a few tries, but finally he manages to clumsily undo one garter, then the other. He kisses her knee before sliding the teddy down her hips and over her thighs. As the garment goes down her shins, Nancy attempts to remove the mules on her feet, but Ned stills her movements with a palm on the top of her foot.

“No – leave those sexy little slippers on, Mrs. Nickerson,” he tells her as the teddy lands on the floor. “I want you wearing your stockings and those shoes while I’m making love to you.”

“Whatever you say, Mr. Nickerson,” she replies in a breathy voice, kissing his bottom lip.

“Damn, you are sexy,” Ned growls, his hand coming up to pinch her nipple. “How the hell did I wait so long to get my hands on you?”

Nancy runs her nails up and down his sides. “You waited because you’re so sweet and thoughtful.”

“Right now, my beautiful wife, I’m feeling anything but sweet and thoughtful.” He uses his other hand to resume stroking between her legs as he continues to play with her breasts.

With a delighted sigh, she wraps her legs around his waist, opening herself up to him. She begins kissing him again, each press of her lips against his becoming more and more insistent, until their tongues are sliding against each other.

Ned breaks their kiss, panting heavily. “Mmm, I can’t wait anymore, Nance.”

“Then don’t.” She helps him to push down his underwear.

Just as the tip of his manhood begins to sink into her, their room is lit up by a huge bolt of lightening; it’s followed by a loud crack of thunder. As he slowly pushes deeper inside of her, Nancy can hear torrents of rain lashing against their balcony and the partially opened sliding glass door.

“Should we close the balcony door?” Her sentence ends in a gasp as Ned fully sheathes himself inside of her.

“There is no way I’m stopping right now,” her husband groans, pushing her thighs wider apart.

He begins working himself in and out of her in maddeningly slow thrusts as the storm grows in intensity outside.

“This feels so good,” she moans, arching her back and baring her throat to him as she wraps her legs around his waist. “Mmm, Ned.”

Ned groans after one particularly deep thrust. “You feel so tight and wet and hot around me, sweetheart. I love you so much.”

He keeps using slow, deep strokes, until Nancy’s ready to explode. Her climax is building and she can’t wait to feel her release. Her fingers dig into his lower back and her legs tighten around him. She tilts her face up and Ned takes the hint, kissing her deeply as they continue to make love.

“Do you want to be on top?” he murmurs against her lips.

Nancy shakes her head. “No – please keep going, Ned!”

He reaches down between their bodies to caress the bundle of nerves between her legs and she whimpers, her nails digging so firmly into his flesh that she’s positive he’ll be left with marks tomorrow. The speed and angle of Ned’s thrusts is driving her crazy and she knows that she’s close, so close…

As Ned’s finger presses down on the slick button and he drives himself deeper into her, she screams her pleasure, thankful for the booming clap of thunder that’s likely muffled the sound.

“Are you coming, sweetheart?” Ned grunts, moving even faster.

“Yes! Oh yes, this feels so good!” Nancy shrieks. “Oh, Ned!”

She continues to moan his name as her climax washes over her, and she’s actually shaking from the intense release of her pent-up desire. Her husband keeps going for another minute before his back goes rigid and he lets out a loud groan, spending himself inside of her.

Slowly, Ned collapses on top of her, and Nancy skims her palms over his perspiration-damp back. She’s content to lie like that for a while, listening to her husband breathe and the rain pattering against the glass balcony door. When a strong gust of wind rattles the open glass door, causing the curtain to billow, Ned stirs.

“Should I close that?”

“No,” Nancy replies. “The cool air feels nice.”

Ned lifts his head and gives her a soft kiss on her lips. “Let me just get a cloth so I can clean you up, sweetheart. Be right back.”

He pushes himself up and gets off of the bed, disappearing into the bathroom. Nancy stretches, looking down at her splayed thighs and her mule-clad feet. She considers closing her legs so she won’t appear quite as immodest, but she can’t quite find the energy to do so.

He returns a minute later, a damp washcloth in his hand, which he uses to tenderly wipe her inner thighs and the flesh between them.

“Better?”

She nods. “Can I take off my slippers and stockings now?”

Ned laughs. “You still look very sexy in them – and only them - and it was very erotic to feel the silk against me while we were making love, but if you’re uncomfortable…” He removes the mules, tossing them onto the carpet, then slowly unrolls the stockings, kissing down her legs before discarding them.

When she’s fully naked, he climbs into next to her and teasingly tweaks one of her nipples, teasing it into a firm bud.

“Are you willing to try something different tonight?” he asks with a sparkle in his eye.

“Something even different than what we’ve already tried?” Ned nods enthusiastically. “Like what?”

“Well, we both like it when we use our mouths on each other…what if we did that to each other at the same time?”

“How?” she blurts out without thinking.

He gives her a sly grin. “You, sweetheart, would climb on top of me so that your face would be near my…groin, and my face would be near yours.”

Nancy looks at him, still confused, until it dawns on her, and she flushes. “Oh.”

“Yes,” Ned nods. “We’d be giving each other fellatio and cunnilingus at the same time. What do you think?”

“I…”

“If you don’t want to, it’s okay,” he hastily reassures her. “Really.”

She deliberates for another moment. “Well, I am known as a very adventurous girl,” she reminds her husband loftily.

“That’s part of the reason why I married you.”

“But Ned, how will I be able to concentrate on…doing that to you when you’re doing that to me?”

He just laughs. “That’s the challenge, sweetheart.”

“You know how I love a challenge.”

Ned kisses her firmly. “That I do, sweetheart.” His tongue grazes hers and one of his palms drifts down her breastbone to rest on the blonde curls at the join of her thighs.

Even though she’s still a little weak from their last bout of lovemaking, Nancy feels herself become aroused all over again as his fingertips trace her sensitive flesh. When he slips his fingers inside of her, just barely, her low moan is swallowed by his mouth.

As his fingers continue to explore her, Nancy can feel his manhood harden against her thigh. She tentatively reaches out her hand to stroke him, and Ned groans loudly.

“That feels good, Nance, but it would be even better if you put those sweet lips around it,” he murmurs, pulling back so he can look at her. His eyes are heavy-lidded with desire, and the expression in the makes her shiver. “If you just took me into that hot little mouth and sucked.”

Nancy’s becoming lightheaded with desire from the feel of his fingers moving inside of her and the naughty things he’s saying. As if in a trance, she pushes herself up to a sitting position and looks down at her husband. She bends her head to give him a slow, passionate kiss before pitching her body forward so that her head is in the vicinity of Ned’s knees.

Opening her legs slightly, Nancy crawls backwards, trying to get into position so that her mouth is near his male member and the flesh between her thighs hovers above his face. Ned puts his hands on her hips and gently pulls her back a little more, and she can’t help but giggle at the ridiculous ways they’re contorting themselves to make love like this.

“I know it’s a little awkward, sweetheart.” His voice is coming from behind her, and she can hear the humor in it. “But once we get going, I think you’ll be doing anything but giggling.”

Nancy turns her head over her shoulder so she can look at him. “So, um, how…how do we start?”

Ned doesn’t answer; instead, he uses his fingers to part her inner lips and slowly, tantalizingly, runs his tongue over the sensitive flesh he’s revealed. It feels so good that she actually whimpers, her head hanging down so that the tips of her hair brush his calves. For a minute, she just lets him lick her and kiss her without reciprocating; she then realizes that it’s probably a little selfish of her to remain focused on her own pleasure.

She raises her head and looks at his now-fully-erect member, dragging her tongue along the underside. Ned moans loudly against the hollow of her sex, which spurs her on to reverse the motion of her tongue. When she gets brave enough, she slowly sucks the tip of him into her mouth, leaning her face forward a little to take more of him in.

Nancy doesn’t know how she’s managing it, but she somehow focuses on licking and sucking him into her mouth while her husband is using his tongue to provide the most delicious sensations in her. One of Ned’s hands comes up and gently caresses her bare bottom as he nips at the sensitive bud between her legs with his teeth. The gasp of pleasure she emits causes her mouth to vibrate around his member, and Ned groans.

“So good, sweetheart,” he tells her, his mouth muffled by the join of her thighs. “You taste so good and what you’re doing to me is incredible.”

Dimly, she knows she should feel some sense of embarrassment at the complete lack of indelicacy of it all – after all, she’s practically sitting on her new husband’s face while she’s got his male member nearly all the way in her mouth - but the arousal and desire she’s experiencing override any shame. His manhood feels hot and hard against her tongue and lips and it reminds her of what it’s like to have him in the place that he’s currently lavishing with attention.

She sucks harder and is rewarded by another loud groan from her husband.

“Damn, you’re a fast learner,” he growls against her. “I’m one lucky so-and-so.”   
His tongue flicks harder against the tender nub between her thighs and she squeals with pleasure.

“You like that, baby?”

“Mmm,” she moans against his male member.

“Keep doing that, and I’m going to explode,” he warns her.

Nancy doesn’t stop; instead, she runs her fingertips against the firm globes at the base of his maleness while running her tongue around the crown at the tip.

“Damn,” he pants, rubbing his chin against the sensitive nub of flesh he’d just been licking. She lets out a wanton groan, opening her legs even wider to give him better access.

When he keeps stroking the stubble of his beard over her, Nancy feels the delicious tension that’s been building inside of her explode and she takes him out of her mouth long enough to shriek her delight, gasping and calling his name as she feels the waves of ecstasy wash over her.

Her knees actually feel weak and her thighs are shaking from her climax, but Nancy knows she can’t deny her husband the wonderful pleasure he’s just given her. She resumes her sucking and stroking until he utters a hoarse cry, his hips thrusting upwards to meet her mouth. After another moment, the back of her throat is coated with a hot, sticky, saltiness.

Nancy closes her mouth, trying to breathe through her nose. She steadies herself on her knees and palms and focuses on not being sick.

“Sweetheart, are you all right?” she hears Ned ask from his position behind her.

She nods, not trusting herself to speak.

“Do you need some water or something?”

“No, I’ll be fine,” she manages to get out, still breathing through her nose.

“Come here,” he murmurs. She hears Ned shift on the mattress and his hands go to her hips, gently guiding her to lie down beside him.

He strokes her hair for a few minutes, until Nancy can feel the nausea that had been rising in her dissipate.

“Better?” he whispers.

She nods against his shoulder.

“I’m sorry about that, sweetheart. It just felt so good!”

Despite her discomfort, Nancy smiles. “What you were doing to me felt good, too.”

Ned presses a kiss to the top of her head. “I’m glad –that’s all I wanted. For us both to enjoy it at the same time. I didn’t want to make you sick.”

“I know.” She kisses the center of his chest. “By the way, Ned,” she asks him as a thought occurs to her, “how did you know about that position? From your special books?” Nancy raises her head to look at her husband’s face.

For once, he’s the one to flush when it comes to talking about these matters, and it surprises Nancy. “Yes, and…”

“And?” Nancy prompts him when he falls silent.

“And from one of the… the movies that they showed during my… my stag night.”

“Movies? What kind of movie would show that?” Nancy’s fairly positive that she’s never seen anything in a theater that would be as explicit as what she and Ned had just done together.

“Stag movies,” Ned confesses, his face still pink. She must still look confused, because he explains further. “They show men and women together, having…intercourse, or they just feature naked women.”

“Oh!” she replies, suddenly understanding the reason for his reticence. “And they showed these during your bachelor celebration with your fraternity brothers?”

He nods sheepishly. “They wanted to get a…a dancer who would take off her clothing, but I begged them not to because I knew it would upset you if you found out.”

“Oh.” She’s silent for a moment.

“Are you bothered about the movies?” he asks, and she can detect a touch of nervousness in his voice.

“How can I be, when they showed the same ones at my bride-to-be tea?” she asks him, her face deadpan. When he gives her a look of astonishment, Nancy dissolves into giggles.

“That wasn’t very nice,” Ned growls, tickling her ribs. “Deceiving your new husband while still on your honeymoon, Mrs. Nickerson?”

Still laughing, Nancy squeals as she bats his hand away to get him to stop. “I had no idea my new husband was so gullible, Mr. Nickerson!”

He turns serious, stilling his hands. “Darling, please say you aren’t angry with me about the movies.”

The pleading nature in his tone serves to dissipate any irritation she would feel, but she can’t help but be a little disappointed. “So you’ve seen other women naked?”

“Just in movies or…adult magazines.”

“Oh,” she repeats, unsure of what to say next.

“But it has nothing to do with you, sweetheart. I love you and you are the most gorgeous woman in the world to me – please believe me.”

She does, and she leans down to gently kiss his lips. “It’s all right, Ned. But the movie gave you…ideas? About us being together?”

He laughs, his relief obvious. “It did. I saw the couple on screen and I couldn’t help but think of how incredibly sexy it would be if you and I did that.”

“Did those movies give you…other ideas?” she asks innocently.

Ned’s lips meet hers again. “They did, believe me, but I was worried I’d frighten you away if I brought up some of the more…scandalous ones.”

“There were more scandalous positions than that?” She can’t keep the incredulity out of her voice.

He laughs once more. “Oh, sweetheart - you have no idea. I thought I’d save those for our first anniversary.” He winks at her.

\--

When they’re finally able to rouse themselves enough to get out of bed, Ned runs a bath, and it makes Nancy sad to realize that this will be the last time they’ll do this at the hotel.

Once the tub is full, Nancy settles herself into the hot, bubbly water and this time Ned faces her. She remains silent as they soak, unable to keep her eyes off of her husband’s handsome face. Her thoughts keep straying to what their life will be like when they return to River Heights – and what it will be like to live with her new husband every day. The idea excites her, but she can’t help but be a little fearful, too. Will Ned quickly tire of having a wife that would rather focus on mysteries than on cooking and keeping his house?

It’s as if Ned can sense her thoughts. “I can tell that something’s on your mind. What is it, sweetheart?”

The sound of his voice snaps her out of her reverie. “It’s just… I just keep thinking about what Winifred said the other day.”

“What’s that?” he asks lazily, picking up her foot to play with her crimson-tipped toes.

“About how I need to remember how patient you’ve been during our honeymoon because once we’re back home, we’ll fight all of the time.”

Ned laughs. “I don’t think she said we’d fight all of the time. But I do expect that we’ll argue occasionally. After all, we’ve never lived together before. There will definitely be times when I’ll get on your nerves – and you’ll get on mine.” He gives her a teasing smile.

Nancy tries to imagine her sweet, mild-mannered husband, the man who can’t ever seem to say no to any request she’s ever had, growing irritated with her. “Oh.”

“It’s only natural, sweetheart,” he reassures her, “We’ll quarrel and there’ll be times when we won’t see eye-to-eye, but we’ll get through it.”

She’s not as certain as he is but nods anyway. “It’ll just be an adjustment.”

“Exactly,” Ned beams. “But you don’t seem to believe me.” He nudges her shin with his toes.

Nancy’s slightly embarrassed that she’s been caught. “I do!” she protests. When he fixes her with an amused glance, she sighs. “It’s just…I’ve never really witnessed a married couple interact on a day-to-day basis.”

“Oh,” he replies. “And you really are worried?”

She hesitates before replying, but decides to be upfront with him. “A little,” she finally admits. “I don’t know how to be a wife.”

“Well, I don’t know how to be a husband, either.”

Nancy smiles at that. “But you’ve at least been able to watch your parents.”

“True,” Ned acknowledges with a dip of his head, “but I think most people would tell you that every marriage is unique, Nancy.”

“Of course. But…”

“But I have been able to see how my father treats my mother – and it definitely has colored my perception of how I should treat my own wife.”

During the interactions she’s had with them, her new father-in-law has been nothing but kind and respectful and affectionate to Ned’s mother, so Nancy’s glad that Ned has used them as a guide for his own behavior.

“It won’t be easy and perfect every day, but I have every faith that you and I will be able to navigate our way through any challenges we’ll face because we’ll do it together. We’ve always been friends, Nancy – and I would hope that we’d stay that way, even though we’re also husband and wife.” Ned kisses the top of her foot.

“That sounds really good.”

“I’m glad, sweetheart. And we’ll talk things out and make up right after we’ve exchanged cross words. Then we’ll go to bed.” His eyebrows wiggle lasciviously, making Nancy giggle.

“So we can spend time…making up?”

“Exactly. It’ll be good for our relationship.”

She feels more encouraged about what things will be like when they return home, but she still can’t help but be more than a little sad about the end of their honeymoon. “I just hate to see our time here end,” she tells her husband quietly.

“I do, too, Nance. It’s been incredible to have you all to myself for ten whole days – and nights. But every time I start to get depressed about it, I think about what it’ll be like to bring my new bride to what’s now going to be our home.”

“Our home,” she sighs delightedly. “That sounds so nice.”

The house they purchased in River Heights is small, but Nancy loves it anyway. It’s got a kitchen with brand-new appliances, three decent-sized bedrooms (everyone keeps teasing her that one of them will likely be a nursery soon), a carport, and a pretty little fenced-in yard that she can’t wait to use for planting larkspurs in the spring. Plus, it’s a short ten minutes from her father’s home and a little more than double that distance from Ned’s parents’ place in Mapleton.

Ned’s been living in the house for the last four months so that he could take care of projects like painting the walls, laying tile on the bathroom floor, hanging curtains, and putting down carpet with the help of his father, Burt, Dave, and a few of his other fraternity brothers. Last month, everything was finally finished and the house was just waiting for her to arrive, Ned had repeatedly told her with a glimmer in his eye.

Ned leans forward and gently grips the tops of her arms, pulling her to him so that her back is resting against his chest. She rests against him, sighing contentedly. “And I keep remembering that we’ll come home just in time for the holidays so we can decorate that Christmas tree that we talked about – and I’ll soon have a few more days off from work.”

“Keep talking.”

Ned chuckles, brushing his lips against the side of her neck. “Just think about it - we’ll get to make love in our own bed for the first time. And in our own bathtub, our shower, the sofa in our den, underneath our Christmas tree, on our kitchen table…I have such plans for you, Mrs. Nickerson.

She turns her head to stare at him, astonished. “Our kitchen table?”

Ned nods, laughing. “Think about it, sweetheart. We’ll spend Christmas morning unwrapping each other – and a few presents, of course - before we leave to spend time with our parents for Christmas dinner. We’ll come home from the New Year’s Eve party at Jim and Helen Archer’s so we can really celebrate the start of the New Year – in the privacy of our own bedroom as we make passionate love to each other.

“No more having to settle for those chaste little good night kisses at your door after an evening out, then having to sleep apart. We’ll be able to come back to our own place and spend the entire night together, curled up in each others’ arms.”

“That sounds heavenly,” she sighs contentedly, settling back down against his chest as she pictures in her mind the very scenarios that Ned’s laid out for her.

Suddenly, she bolts upright and turns to face her husband again as a terrible thought occurs to her. “They’ll know. Everyone will know. Oh, no,” she whispered, covering her face with her hands.

“Everyone’ll know what, Nance?”

“When we spend Christmas with our parents and they ask us about our honeymoon, they’ll know that we spent the entire week…” She lets her sentence trailed off, too mortified to voice the words aloud.

Ned laughs heartily. “Making love? Having sex?”

She nods, her face still obscured by her hands.

“Honey, you’re a married woman now – in every sense of the word. People fully expect us to be doing the things we’ve been doing this week. Okay, maybe not all of the things we’ve been doing,” he admits when she just gives him a look. “I bet no one would have guessed we’d be tracking down stolen loot in a bomb shelter on our honeymoon. But since it’s you…”

Ned, it’s not funny!” she tells him, giving a half-hearted swat to his arm. “We’ll be expected to sit there at Christmas dinner with our parents and pretend like they don’t know what we’ve been doing here in Florida! My dad and your mother… Ugh.”

“It’s natural, sweetheart. What do you think they did on their honeymoons? Besides, I have a strong feeling that they want to think about it even less than we want them to. Especially your dad – I’m really going to have to work hard to look him in the eye after all of the stuff I’ve done to you this week, Nance.”

She giggles, despite her concerns. “Poor baby.”

“But since we’re talking about our fears about what’ll happen when we go home…” He pauses to kiss her shoulder.

“What are you scared of, Ned?” Nancy’s honestly curious about what her husband’s answer will be.

“That what happened earlier today will happen again. That you’ll go off chasing some suspect and I’ll be half out of my mind with worry about whether you’ll come back to me – and whether you’ll be all in one piece if you do.”

She frowns. “Surely you aren’t now telling me that you don’t want me to take any more cases when we get back home.” Nancy moves back to her side of the tub so she can face Ned, suspecting that this may very well turn into their first disagreement as newlyweds.

Ned takes her hand and kisses the palm, then tenderly rubs the still-sensitive flesh at her wrist from where she had been tied up earlier. “No, darling, that’s not what I’m saying. It’s just that now that I’m your husband, I’m even more concerned about your safety than I was as your special friend. Surely you can appreciate that.”

Nancy nods, still wary. “I can, and I’m glad that you care so much about me, darling.”

“But you don’t want that to turn into me trying to tell you what to do.” He laughs. “And I won’t. Nancy, I promised you that I wouldn’t stop you from working on your mysteries, and I meant it. After all, didn’t I let you work on Charles Maxwell’s case while we were here in Florida?”

“You did.” She dips her head in acknowledgement. “I just worried that you had changed your tune.”

“No, not at all. All that I’m asking is for you to at least think before you charge into a darkened cave or a deserted mansion – or an underground bomb shelter.” His lips twist in a wry grin. “That you don’t just put yourself into what could be a dangerous situation without paying heed to the inherent risk.” His voice is even, but she can sense the gentle admonishment beneath it.

Nancy impatiently crosses her arms, shielding her bare breasts from his view. The water has turned cool and her nipples are tight. “If I had done that today, Mickey and Allen would have gotten away with their scheme yet again!”

“I know that, sweetheart, but what would I have done if anything had happened to you? I’ve waited what feels like an entire lifetime to make you my wife, and the thought of losing you?” She’s surprised to see his brown eyes shimmering, and the rawness in his voice nearly breaks her heart. “The entire time I was running around that neighborhood in Coral Gables this afternoon to try and get help, my heart was in my throat; I felt sick.”

Her defensiveness turns to contrition, and she looks down at the water’s surface, which are now pruny from the water. “I’m sorry,” she replies softly. “Ned, I’m really sorry. I knew you were upset, but I had no idea how much.”

“Darling…” His voice drifts off as he pulls her to his chest, stroking her hair with a damp hand. The warmth of his body feels nice against hers now that the water is no longer hot. “You are the most important thing in the world to me. I didn’t bring this topic up tonight to make you angry – far from it. I just wanted to ask you to consider taking more care in the future. I wouldn’t be able to go on without you in my life.”

Now Nancy feels herself getting teary. “I’m sorry,” she repeats again. “I love you and I’m sorry I worried you.”

He eases her back to press a kiss on her lips. “Just be careful, Nance – that’s all I ask.”

“I will,” she vows, and she means it – for the present, anyway.

“Now, no more serious talk, sweetheart. It’s the last night we’ll be here at the resort. I think I still have time to make love to you once more tonight – unless you need more time to soak in the tub?”

Nancy giggles. “The water’s gotten awfully cold.”

He rubs the tip of his nose against hers. “I could let out the stopper and refill it with hot, if you want me to.”

“I think we’ve spent entirely too long in this tub, Mr. Nickerson.”

Ned’s grin is broad. “So are you saying that it’s time for us to go to bed, Mrs. Nickerson?”

“I am. But I’m not terribly sleepy yet, even though it’s been a very long day.” She makes her blue eyes wide and innocent.

“Hmmm, so I guess we’ll have to make love once more, like I suggested. I mean, you’ll need some way to tire yourself out.” His tone mirrors the teasing one she’d put on.

“If you insist.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a continuation of let it be me, where Ned asked Carson for Nancy’s hand in marriage and Nancy accepted Ned’s proposal. They’re now man and wife, and are on their honeymoon. 
> 
> Sorry that this has been lingering out here for so long, but life has unfortunately gotten in the way. However, to make it up to you, I’m posting chapters 5 and 6 in their entirety now. There will be one final chapter to this before it’s finally complete, but no guarantees about when it will be done! 

Day Ten

“Are you sure you’ve packed everything, Ned?” 

The wake-up call from the front desk had forced them to get out of bed much earlier than they’d wanted, thanks to their late night, and now Nancy and Ned are hurrying around the honeymoon suite to pack their things so they won’t be late for their flight back home in a few hours. 

Ned looks down at his suitcase and flips through the neatly folded shirts and slacks he’s just placed inside of it. “I’m positive, Nance.”

“And your toiletries?”

“I just packed my shaving kit and my shampoo and things like that, so I’m set.”

She pauses from rifling through her cosmetic bag, panicking that she’s somehow forgotten something. “Oh, my toothbrush - I must’ve left it on the bathroom counter by the sink! Ned, can you be a darling and get it for me?”

“Yes, dear,” he answers teasingly. “Be right back.”

When Ned returns from the bathroom brandishing her forgotten toothbrush, she rewards him with a kiss. “Thank you very much.” 

“You know,” he replies, kissing her back, “they say that if you leave something personal behind, it just means that your subconscious wants you to return to the place where you left it.”

Nancy smiles. “The idea of returning here with you would make me very happy, Ned.”

“Maybe we’ll come back for one of our anniversaries,” he promptly suggests. 

“I already can’t wait.” 

His lips graze hers as she hears a knock on the door to their suite. Nancy pulls back, puzzled. “Who could that be?”

Ned gives her an enigmatic grin. “I don’t know – let’s find out.”

Nancy’s charmed to discover that he’s ordered them a special breakfast from room service for their final morning in Florida, and he has the waiter set up their meals on the balcony before drying off the chairs, which were soaked from last night’s rainstorms. 

“This was very thoughtful of you, Ned,” she praises him once the waiter leaves. 

“Call me selfish – I wanted to have one more meal al fresco with you. Feeling the sun warm us on a balmy day, seeing and hearing the majestic ocean waves crash onto the pristine white sand, all while sitting across from my beautiful bride while we enjoy a delicious breakfast …it can’t get better than this. I am the luckiest man in the world,” he pronounces. 

“And I’m the luckiest woman,” she replies without hesitation. 

They dig into their eggs Benedict, hash browned potatoes, and fresh fruit salad, which are accompanied by a carafe of coffee and a pitcher of freshly squeezed orange juice. The meal is truly scrumptious and the weather is glorious – the thunderstorms cleared out the brutal heat and humidity they’ve been experiencing over the last week, and the bright sunshine lends a beautiful sparkle to their surroundings, as if everything’s been washed clean. A light breeze stirs up Nancy’s hair, and she shivers. 

“Cold, Nance?”

“A little,” she admits, pouring herself a hot top for her coffee and then doing the same for Ned. “But I know I have no right to complain - within twelve hours, we’ll be back to freezing cold temperatures.”

“When I checked the weather section of the newspaper earlier this morning, it mentioned that they’re calling for snow in Chicago tonight and tomorrow,” he comments. 

She groans. “Thank goodness I thought to keep my coat and scarf out of my luggage -- I can wear them when we get off the plane.”

“I’m just glad that Mother and Dad were generous enough to give us the money for our cab rides to and from the airport,” Ned adds. “At least I won’t have to dig out our car from a parking lot and de-ice the windshield so we can make it home.”

“It was lovely of them to treat us,” Nancy agrees. “And I hope your mother likes the porcelain candy dish I picked up for her downtown.”

“I’m sure she’ll love it, sweetheart,” he reassures her. “And the others will love the scarves you bought them, too.” 

Before they had spent a good part of their trip working on her mystery, Nancy had taken a little time to buy souvenirs for their friends and family. In addition to the candy dish for her new mother-in-law (and Nancy still can’t quite believe that she now has a mother-in-law), she purchased silk scarves imprinted with various scenes of the Miami shoreline for Hannah, Aunt Eloise, Bess, George, and Helen. 

After breakfast, they finish packing and call down to the front desk to have someone come and help with their luggage. While they wait for the bellhop, Nancy looks around the room, feeling more than a little sad. 

“Remember, we’ll come back for one of anniversaries.” Ned comes up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her neck. 

“I know,” she sighs. 

“And we’ll still have tonight,” he reminds her, his lips grazing her jawbone. 

She shivers at the implication behind his words as they hear a knock at their door. “Then let’s go home.”

Nancy reluctantly pulls out of his arms and smoothes down the skirt of her traveling suit, a navy gabardine piped in white, before answering the knock of the bellhop.

\--

The snow’s coming down at a good clip as Nancy and Ned make their way out of the River Heights Airport terminal. Luckily, they can wait underneath an overhang for a taxi, but it doesn’t fully block out the gusting winds or the heavy, driving flakes. Ned gallantly positions himself curbside, shielding Nancy from the worst of the bad weather; when her teeth begin chattering, he puts an arm around her shoulder and cuddles her close. 

Thankfully, the wait isn’t terribly long, and Ned insists on placing Nancy into the cab while he works with the taxi driver to put their luggage into the trunk. She huddles into herself, rubbing her wool-mittened hands together as she basks in the heat of the car. After a few minutes, Ned finally lets himself into the cab and Nancy reaches up to brush the thick, heavy snowflakes off of his dark hair. 

“I can’t believe how cold it feels,” Ned groans, exhaling loudly as the driver gets into the taxi and carefully pulls away from the curb. “Even though we were gone ten days, my body must have already gotten used to the Florida climate.”

Nancy takes one of his hands and clasps it tightly between her own, snuggling against him in the backseat. 

The trip home takes much longer than usual, thanks to the rapidly deteriorating weather conditions and the darkness that has fallen much earlier than it normally would have at this time of day; both Nancy and Ned are relieved when they arrive safely. When the cab pulls up in front of their home, Ned and the driver struggle with the luggage in the now blizzard-like snowfall and Ned tips the driver generously. 

It’s a challenge for Nancy and Ned to make it up the brick walkway leading up to their house without slipping on the ice, but somehow they both manage to keep upright. When Ned opens the front door, they’re both relieved to find that someone has thought to come by to crank up the heat and turn on a few lamps – at least they won’t be walking into a cold and dark house. 

As Nancy is about to step inside, Ned shakes his head, motioning for her to remain on the front porch as he quickly stores the luggage in the hallway. She’s impatient to get into the warmth, but she obeys her husband’s request; her impatience turns to amusement when he comes back and bends down to pick her up. 

Her coat and the snow add a few pounds to Nancy’s normally slender frame, and she giggles as Ned struggles to trudge the few steps inside through the snow and ice on the porch. When they’re both in the house, he immediately slams the door behind them before gently setting her on her feet. 

“I couldn’t miss the chance to carry you over the threshold of our new home,” he grins proudly. 

Nancy kisses his cold lips. “It was very romantic – even though the weather wouldn’t cooperate.”

Even though they’re both still shivering, Ned takes their coats and hangs them on the newly-installed coat rack by the front door. Nancy’s again glad that she decided on linoleum flooring for the hallway; when the melting snow and ice from their coats drips onto the floor, it’ll be easy to clean up later. 

“I wonder who our guardian angels were,” she comments as they remove their shoes.

Ned points to the lovely glass vase of lilies and roses that’s sitting on their small dining room table. “I don’t know, but they probably also have something to do with that.”

Nancy hurries over to the table and plucks a cream-colored envelope off of the center of the oak table, its surface still gleaming from the polishing Nancy had given it a few days before the wedding. After she slits open the envelope, she reads aloud:

Mr. and Mrs. Nickerson,

Welcome home! We hope that you had a wonderful time in Florida and can’t wait to see your photographs. 

Since we figured that you wouldn’t want to worry about cooking or shopping immediately upon your return, we placed a few meals in your refrigerator and also took the liberty of picking up milk, eggs, butter, juice, bread, and a few other items. (We’re also the ones who turned on the lights – and the heat. December in River Heights is probably much colder than December in Florida, we’ll venture to guess.) 

Looking forward to seeing the both of you soon,

Mr. and Mrs. Nickerson

When Nancy finishes reading, Ned’s beaming from ear to ear; she’s also got a big smile on her face. It gives her a little thrill when she realizes that both she and her mother-in-law now share the title of ‘Mrs. Nickerson’. 

“Ned, your parents are the sweetest!” she gushes. “How very thoughtful of them!” 

He follows her into the kitchen, where they’re both delighted to find a roast chicken, mashed potatoes, a meatloaf, green beans, carrots, and containers of gravy in the refrigerator. Ned goes to the counter and removes the lid off of a cake taker, revealing a luscious-looking carrot cake iced in thick cream cheese frosting. 

“I knew it was a smart idea to give our parents the key to our place,” he laughs. 

“This was a wonderful surprise,” Nancy declares. 

Ned pats his stomach. “I could definitely eat something.”

“You could always eat something,” she teases. “Why don’t we have supper after we unpack and change our clothes?”

“My wife is very smart,” he teases back, affectionately swatting her on the rear.

When they go into their bedroom, Nancy no longer has to pretend to avoid staring nervously at the large queen-sized bed in the center of the room, like she’d had to do during her visits before they were married. She and Ned quickly put away their toiletries and clothing and place their dirty laundry in the bathroom hamper before undressing into more casual clothes. It amuses Nancy how Ned can’t keep his eyes off of her as she strips off her suit even as he’s undressing himself. 

For a moment, she’d deliberates putting on something fancy, before remembering that she’s home with Ned: they’ll be living together each and every day, so she needs to get comfortable, just like she would’ve done for a relaxing evening when she had been living at her father’s house. Nancy steps into a pair of faded dungarees and slips on a pretty blue boatneck sweater, keeping her feet bare.

“I have such a beautiful wife,” he murmurs, taking her hand and pulling her close to his chest. 

“And I have such a handsome husband.” Ned’s also put on a pair of denim jeans and a black wool sweater that feels slightly scratchy beneath her cheek. 

“If I weren’t absolutely starving right now, I’d get you out of those clothes again and we’d christen our bed, sweetheart.” His hand skims her back. 

“Be patient, darling,” she tells him, looping her arms around his waist and hugging him tightly. “It’s still early.”

She feels his chest rumble from his chuckle before he pulls away. “I’m trying, but it’s not easy when I’m married to an absolutely gorgeous woman.”

“Flatterer,” she teases, tugging on his hand and pulling him out of the room. 

When they get back into the kitchen, Nancy takes the chicken and potatoes and green beans out of the refrigerator before turning on the oven. It still feels so odd to her to realize that this is her kitchen now - she’s the woman of the house. 

As she reaches on her tip-toes to pull down a serving platter for the chicken from a high cabinet, Ned comes up behind her and easily takes down the platter, setting it on the counter in front of them. She turns to give him a smile of thanks. 

“Here’s an idea… Instead of eating in here or in the dining room, what if I build a fire in the den so that we can have a little indoor picnic? We could light some candles, I could pour us a few glasses of wine…then we could try out the davenport.” Ned wiggles his eyebrows. 

Nancy pretends to misunderstand him. “We’ve already sat on the couch to watch the television when I’ve come over to visit, Ned.”

“I wasn’t talking about television, my sweet Nancy. No, I had…other ideas.”

“Like what?”

“Like maybe seeing how those dungarees and that pretty sweater would look on the floor of our den. And maybe what it would look like if your brassiere and panties followed them onto the carpet.” His eyes have a glint of humor in them. 

“You, Mr. Nickerson, have a one-track mind,” she tells him, pretending to be irritated. The thought of it sends a thrill through her, though. 

“I just thought it would be romantic, Mrs. Nickerson.” he holds up his hands, palms up, in an overly innocent manner. “The snow’s still falling outside,” he points to their kitchen window, where they can see the flakes still coming down hard, “and we could be warm and cozy inside as we enjoy the last night of our honeymoon.”

“Hmmm. Well, it is a very good idea, so why don’t you build that fire and light those candles? Then we can see how the rest of the evening goes.” 

Ned grins and pats her denim-clad rear. “Let me know if you’ll need help with bringing in the food.”

Nancy kisses his lips. “I will, and you’re very sweet to offer.” He kisses her back before taking his leave. 

Once he’s gone, Nancy puts the chicken and potatoes into the oven to warm and the green beans into a pot on the stove and again looks around the cozy kitchen, satisfied with what she sees. Thanks to Ned’s handiwork, the walls are painted a warm goldenrod color, which perfectly matches the yellow-and-white gingham-trimmed curtains she and Hannah had sewn. Nancy’s glad that they had decided to fix the place up before she’d moved in; it would have been far too daunting a task to start decorating from scratch upon their return from their honeymoon, when she’ll have to start settling down into her new role as a wife. 

It also helps her to feel a little more at home here. The week before the wedding, Nancy had moved in what had been virtually the last of her clothing and belongings, feeling a little thrill each time she’d placed her folded-up shirts and socks next to Ned’s in the bureau, every time she had hung her slacks and dresses next to his suits and sports clothes in the closet. It felt like she was about to embark upon a new adventure – and everyone knows how much Nancy loves adventure. 

While she’s been extremely excited to live in their darling little home with Ned as newlyweds, Nancy can’t deny the slight sadness in her heart at the idea of leaving her father. It would be the very first time she would be living apart from Carson Drew, and the thought of not being able to talk through his cases at the dinner table every night or see him before he left for the office in the morning was still odd to her. 

When she’d put the last of her suitcases in the trunk of her convertible on that trip to gather her things, she’d had to brush away a few tears as she tried to adjust to the reality that her father’s residence would no longer be her home. She had been able to tell that her father was also having a little difficulty coming to terms with the change, but above all, he’s only ever wanted what was best for her and what would make her the happiest. 

Nancy knows she’ll also miss Hannah Gruen. While there could never be a replacement for her late mother, Hannah has been the closest thing she’s ever had in her life, and it will be strange to live without her. When Nancy had timidly voiced these feelings a few days before the wedding, Hannah had just laughed, pulling her close for a quick hug. She’d promised to call every day – and to finally turn over her recipe for chocolate fudge cake so that Nancy could impress her new husband. 

Shaking off her sadness, Nancy forces herself to instead focus on being able to have one more night of a honeymoon with her husband before they settle into their new life together. The prospect of a candlelit picnic by the fire raises her spirits considerably – much more romantic than a supper at their dining room table, she decides. 

Plus, as Ned’s reminded her, the holidays are fast approaching, and Nancy’s always loved this time of year. It was the reason she’d wanted a Christmastime wedding instead of waiting for the spring. Now she’ll be able to decorate her very own home for the first time, and she’s exhilarated at the idea of making preparations for her first Christmas with Ned as husband and wife. 

Maybe she and Ned can take a trip to the Christmas tree farm on Saturday morning if the weather cooperates, Nancy thinks optimistically. Then she can make something special for dinner before they decorate the tree that evening. (She’s already imagined where they’ll hang the Our First Christmas ornament made of delicate bone china that her great-grandmother Lady Douglas had sent from Scotland as part of her wedding shower gift.) Perhaps she can even find a way to convince Ned to put up strings of colorful lights around the outside of the house on Sunday afternoon instead of watching a football game on television – although it will probably take some special convincing on her part, she notes with a giggle. 

The ping of the oven timer snaps Nancy out of her thoughts, and she checks on dinner, satisfied that everything seems to be warmed through without drying out. She takes the tray out of the oven and slices into the bird, heaping generous portions of chicken, potatoes and green beans onto Ned’s plate before serving herself smaller amounts of food. 

Nancy carefully carries the plates out to the living room, beaming when she sees what Ned’s done. The drapes around the large picture window have been opened slightly so that they can see the snow falling outside. A huge fire is crackling invitingly in the hearth, there are candles burning on the mantle, and he’s laid out a cloth on the carpet, the vase of flowers his parents had brought over resting smack in the center. A bottle of white wine has been uncorked and there are two filled glasses on the coffee table. Ned’s even thought to bring in his transistor radio, which is sitting on an end table and is softly playing love songs. 

“This is lovely,” she tells him in a hushed voice. 

Ned springs up from the floor to take the plates from her. 

“I’m glad you like it, sweetheart. Nothing’s too good for my wife.”

They settle down to eat, talking softly as they enjoy their dinner. It really does feel like they’re in their own little world, and all of Nancy’s lingering feelings of sadness from earlier have evaporated, leaving her in a love-struck haze. Whatever arguments or disagreements they do have in the future, she can’t imagine loving Ned any less than she does right at this very minute. 

Once they’ve finished their meals, Ned puts their dirty dishes on the coffee table and holds out his hand to her. He helps her to her feet and they take the opportunity to dance, slow and close. 

“I love you,” he murmurs against her ear. 

Nancy all but melts against him. “I love you, too. And as much as I hated leaving Florida, I’m so glad to be home with you.”

“This place didn’t feel like a home to me before today,” Ned tells her quietly. “Living here all by myself, it felt empty. Now that you’re here for good…now it’s home, darling.”

“I feel the same way, darling,” she whispers back, and it’s true. She’s truly excited at what their future will hold. 

“I still can’t believe this is real,” Ned chuckles. “That it’s not all some dream. I can’t believe you said yes to me.”

“I did.” Nancy nods her head against his chest. “I’m so glad I did.”

His hand steals under the hem of her sweater, grazing the clasp of her brassiere. “Can we attempt my idea of trying out the davenport?”

She laughs. “Well, it is the last night of our honeymoon.”

Ned’s clever fingers unsnap the hooks and he yanks her sweater over her head in one quick motion, tossing the brassiere after it. 

“You’re really sexy, Mrs. Nickerson, especially in firelight.” He bends his head and lightly sucks on one of the firm pink tips of her breasts. 

Nancy moans, fisting her hands in his dark hair. “That feels so nice.”

He kisses her other nipple before raising his head to give her a smile. “Would you consider riding me, sweetheart? I know how much pleasure it brings you when we make love that way.”

She flushes but nods her head. The idea of sinking down onto him sets off a tingle between her thighs and she can’t wait for it to become a reality. 

Ned deftly unflicks the button of her dungarees, leaving her only in her navy satin panties. They aren’t especially revealing, but the look of rapture on his face still makes Nancy feel very sensual. 

He makes quick work of shedding his own sweater and pants; once he’s down to his shorts, he takes her hand and leads her to the couch. Settling onto his back, he tugs on her hand, pulling Nancy down on top of him. 

They kiss lazily for a while, their hands stroking over bare skin and the fabric of their underwear without reservation. The fire’s gone down somewhat, leaving them in semi-darkness; the flames crackle and hiss and pop on occasion. Nancy can still hear the music playing and can’t imagine a setting that’s much more romantic than this. 

“My sweet, sexy wife,” Ned mutters, two of his fingers sliding into the warm, wet hollow between her thighs. 

Nancy sighs into his mouth, savoring the feel of his hands on her and the pressure of her bare breasts against his chest. 

He moves his other hand to the waistband of her underwear and pushes them down her hips and thighs; she wriggles to get them down to her ankles and then off altogether. 

When his palm makes gentle circles over her naked bottom, Nancy begins to rub her the now-exposed join of her thighs against his underwear-clad one. 

“Little tease,” he gasps hoarsely. “You want it as much as I do, don’t you?”

She bites her lip, nodding as she opens her legs wider so she can rub harder. His maleness is fully erect now and it feels delicious against her. 

“Dry humping me like a little tease,” Ned growls. “Like you aren’t dying for me to get inside of you. Like you’re not hot and wet at the idea of riding me until we’re both satisfied.”

Nancy kisses him hard, her tongue stroking madly against his. 

“Take off my shorts, sweetheart. Take them off so we can both have what we want.”

Her hands immediately go to his waist, and they both yank down his underwear. They’re barely off of him when Nancy straddles him and begins to slide onto his male member. When the tip is inside of her, she tilts back her head and lets out a loud moan. 

“That’s right, Nancy. There’s no one around, so you can be as loud as you want. Tell me how good this feels.”

She slides all the way down, whimpering when he’s completely sheathed inside of her. “Mmmm.”

Ned’s strong hands grip her hips and she takes it as a signal to start moving. Each time his hips thrust up to meet hers, she lets out a sound of delight. Nancy doesn’t know how she’ll ever be able to stop thinking about this the next time they have their friends or family over for a visit, but it’s not enough to stop her from riding her husband naked on the couch. 

“So good, sweetheart. You look gorgeous and feel so good.” 

“I love you,” she gasps. “Ned, I love you.”

He smiles, reaching up a hand to brush her curls away from her now-burning cheek. “I love you so much, Nancy.” 

They continue to murmur words of love and desire and passion as they make love; Nancy can feel her climax impeding and can’t wait for the release. 

Ned rears up and begins to suck her nipples, using one hand to tease the firm bud between her legs. 

“Ned,” she pants, tightening her flesh around him. 

“That’s it, sweetheart,” he growls aginst her breast. “Show me how good you are at loving me, my delicious little wife.”

Repeating his name over and over, Nancy clenches even harder, thoroughly enjoying what they’re doing. She can’t believe she was so frightened of doing this two short weeks ago, not when it feels so good to love her husband like this. 

When his fingertip presses even harder against her, she finally lets go, climaxing with a loud scream. 

Her husband grits out some truly indelicate things as he surges into her, giving into his own release with a hot gush. Nancy should probably be embarrassed by the things he’s just said, but the idea that she could bring out this type of passion in him gives her a strange sense of pride. 

She collapses to his chest, suddenly exhausted. Ned strokes her hair as they lie there panting, trying to get their breathing under control.

“You were incredible,” he tells her.

Nancy blushes. “I feel like I’m still learning.” 

“We both are, Nance. That’s the best part of this – we’re teaching each other. No one else knows you in this way, just like no one else knows what it’s like to be with me like this.”

Nancy’s glad that they waited to be together, glad that Ned hasn’t shared this experience with another woman. She raises her head and uses the tip of her index finger to trace his lips. “I couldn’t imagine being with another man this way,” she tells him honestly. 

“I’m so happy to hear you say that,” he smiles, kissing her finger. “That I haven’t disappointed you.”

She shakes her head vehemently. “How on earth could you say that?”

Ned shrugs. “Because it probably would have been better for you at the outset if I’d been experienced?”

“No,” Nancy insists. “I would be so sad to think of you like this with someone else.”

They begin kissing again and Nancy can feel him growing firm against her thigh. Just as he’s stroked his hand down her side to tease one of her breasts, the telephone on the end table above their heads rings loudly.

“No,” Ned groans. 

Nancy reluctantly pushes herself up on her hands, leaning over the arm of the couch to stare balefully at the still-ringing phone. 

“Ignore it,” he tells her, more forcefully this time.

Good manners override her reluctance to follow Ned’s request. “I can’t,” she sighs. “It’s probably one of our families, checking in to make sure we got home safely.”

“It’s still our honeymoon,” Ned growls. “We can talk to them tomorrow.”

“Ned,” she chides him gently. “The weather is terrible, and they’re probably worried about us. Truthfully, we probably should have called when we arrived.”

He sighs loudly but lets her reach over his head to grab the receiver. 

“Hello? Oh hi, Dad. Yes, our flight got in on time, even though the snowstorm has been ghastly.”

Nancy wants to laugh at the panicked expression on her husband’s face, as if there’s a camera beaming the image of their naked bodies over to her father’s house. Ned hastily sits up, gently depositing her onto the couch cushion and grabs for their clothing, which they’d earlier discarded on the floor. 

As Nancy continues to talk to her father, Ned blows out the candles and tamps down the fire before flicking off the radio. She’s concentrating on her father’s questions about their trip but can’t help but be amused as Ned busies himself with cleaning up. 

“I’m going to run us a bath,” her husband whispers. Nancy nods and blows him a kiss, hoping that her father won’t keep her on the phone much longer. 

Five minutes later, Nancy hangs up, promising to call her father tomorrow. He’s mentioned a new case that could potentially require an investigator, and she can’t help but be intrigued at the idea of a new mystery to solve. 

She brings the dirty dishes into the kitchen, too impatient to delay a bath with Ned to take the time to wash them. I’ll take care of them in the morning, she vows to herself. 

Nancy makes her way to the bathroom, where Ned’s already sitting in the tub; he’s also thought to bring the transistor radio in with them, where it’s resting on the countertop. 

“You didn’t wait for me?” she teases, joining him in the bath. The hot water feels nice on such a cold night, and Ned’s arms immediately steal around her waist, pulling her tighter against his chest. 

“Sorry, Nance – I hoped that if I sent you mental signals about being in here, it would prompt you to get off of the phone.”

Nancy laughs. “It worked, Ned. All I could think about was taking one last honeymoon bath with you.” 

She relaxes against him, sighing contently as his lips graze the back of her neck. Suddenly, she springs up. 

“The wedding gifts!” she gasps. “Ned, we didn’t open the gifts tonight!” Nancy had noticed them a large, neatly stacked pile of packages wrapped in silver and white paper. 

“We can dive into them tomorrow, sweetheart. Both of us were entirely too tired to do justice to that task tonight.”

“But we’ve already been gone ten days and people will think I’m terribly rude for being so late with the thank you cards-” 

One of the wedding shower gifts from Ned’s aunt had been thick, cream-colored cards with Mrs. Nancy Nickerson embossed on them in formal black script. To tell the truth, Nancy’s been looking forward to using them for just this task. 

Ned cuts her off, gently pressing on her shoulders to get her to rest against him once more. “I’m sure people won’t think that at all, Nance. After all, they knew we were taking a long honeymoon, and a minor delay with the thank yous won’t be a big deal. Plus, everyone else is probably so focused on Christmas, they won’t even notice,” he reassures her. 

Nancy knows he’s right, but she hates that people would think she would be less than grateful for their gifts of china and crystal and silver. “I’ll start working on the cards this weekend,” she vows with a decisive nod of her head as she settles back against his chest again. 

He chuckles. “That’s my girl.” 

They linger in the bath, relaxing in the hot water, and Nancy all but purrs when he begins kissing the side of her neck. 

“I hate the thought of having to go to work tomorrow,” he groans. “Leaving you in the morning will be impossible, sweetheart.”

Nancy tilts her head back and kisses his open palm. “It will be very hard to see you go,” she admits. 

“What are your plans for the day?”

“I…don’t know,” she replies. After a frantic year of wedding planning and house hunting and decorating schemes, it feels strange to Nancy not to have a list of to-dos a mile long. “Whoever was kind enough to drop off my convertible while we were away did me a favor; now I’m free to go out tomorrow without waiting for an available automobile. If the snow plows come through overnight, perhaps I can meet Bess and George for luncheon; I’m sure that Bess, at least, will be dying to hear all about the honeymoon.”

Ned chuckles. “And how much are you going to tell her?”

Nancy flushes, glad that he can’t see her face. While she’s always loved divulging secrets to her best girlfriends, what she and Ned have shared over the past week and a half seems entirely too private to reveal to others. She loves the idea of keeping the newfound intimacy she and Ned have found all to themselves.

“About my mystery and how lovely the resort was.” 

“That’s all?” he teases, rubbing her back.

“Yes. What you and I… The things that you and I have done are no one else’s business, Ned. No matter how strongly Bess may hint for details.”

He smiles. “I agree. That’s why I won’t speak of it to my fraternity brothers or the other fellows. Some men enjoy talking in the locker room about their conquests but I could never think of what you and I have shared in those terms, Nancy. You’re my beautiful, precious wife, and I would hate the thought of others knowing about the ways we’ve made love.”

“I’m glad,” she confesses shyly. “Thank you.”

“So, luncheon with the girls…any other plans?”

Nancy sits up straighter. “Actually, my father just told me that he may have another mystery for me to solve. I’ve promised to call him to get some more information – I may even stop by his office.”

“So we haven’t been back twenty-four hours and already you’re on another case?” Ned laughs, but she doesn’t sense any irritation behind it. “I should have guessed why you were so eager to speak with your father.”

“Not necessarily,” she shrugs, trying to tamp down her growing excitement at even the possibility of a mystery. “He’s not even sure yet, himself. He still has to meet with his client to see what kind of assistance they’re looking for and if my services would be needed.”

“Look at you,” he chuckles. “Positively vibrating with excitement at even the idea of it.”

“I told you, it’s not definite,” she tries to defend herself.

“And I told you that you I’m not going to stop you, sweetheart. Just remember that you promised me you’d be careful,” he reminds her gently.

“I do,” she vows, and for right now, she means it. 

Seemingly satisfied, Ned reaches out and pulls her into his arms again. The water’s getting cool and they should probably either refill it with hot or get out altogether, but Nancy doesn’t want to leave the cocoon of her husband’s embrace. 

Just then, their wedding song comes on the radio. “Mmm, perfect timing,” she sighs happily. 

“The best,” Ned agrees, wrapping his arms around her tighter. “What do you say we get into our bed once the song’s over so we can make love in it for the first time?”

Nancy lets her fingertips skim over his wet knee. “That sounds like a wonderful idea.”

“Then this could be the first time that I hope it ends quickly, Mrs. Nickerson.”

She giggles. “Well, we’ll be listening it to it together for the rest of our lives, Mr. Nickerson. Perhaps cutting it short this time around would be all right – just this once.”

Ned quickly leans over and lets the stopper out of the tub. “I knew I married a smart woman.”


End file.
